We are now approaching a full year since Gallows Corner was shut on June 23, 2025.
Transport for London (TfL) says it is “very sorry” for the continued delays in reopening Gallows Corner. After a recent meeting, Havering Council’s new leader Keith Prince said he was “challenging them” to reopen the long-closed flyover and roundabout by October.
Gallows Corner, in Romford, is being totally rebuilt by TfL – which it says will improve journey times and road safety – but the project has repeatedly run aground due to complex ground issues and utility works. We are now approaching a full year since Gallows Corner was shut on June 23, 2025.
Drivers will have to wait until at least August before they can use Gallows Corner again, with TfL saying the site should be handed back to them once water main repairs are complete. But further work is needed after this.
The prolonged closure has had a significant impact on residents and businesses around Gallows Corner. Local campaigners say roads in Ardleigh Green and the surrounding area have been plagued by severe congestion as drivers divert around the works, while some businesses have reported a sharp fall in trade. Earlier this year, one nearby engineering firm said the disruption had forced it to close after months of declining custom.
The transport body missed the deadline of April after issues with water pipes were identified by Essex & Suffolk Water (ESW), but TfL now says it will hand the site back by the end of August.
A spokesperson for TfL told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “We are working hard to complete the project as soon as possible, while ensuring infrastructure is safe and ready to enter service. Complex work remains, but Essex & Suffolk Water currently expects to complete its works and hand the site back to us by the end of August.
“Following this, we will need to complete final reinstatement and resurfacing works in the area where work has been taking place before we can fully reopen the road network.
“We know how deeply frustrating this situation continues to be for local residents, businesses and road users and we are very sorry for the ongoing disruption. We remain focused on completing the remaining work safely and as quickly as possible, while protecting vital water supplies.”
All major TfL groundworks have been completed and work is progressing on repairing the troublesome water pipe, the body says.
Cllr Prince says that TfL expects to be finished by September, but he doubts it due to the possibility of further delays and considers October more realistic. Work began on Gallows Corner last March and was originally scheduled to be completed by September.
After the previous council administration branded the continued delays a “farce,” more than 1,900 residents signed a petition demanding compensation. They said they “no longer had compensation in TfL’s assurances” and had reached a “breaking point,” and requested a partial council tax refund for each month beginning September 2025.
The petition, launched by resident Liz O’Grady, has attracted almost 2,000 signatures. Campaigners argue the community has reached “breaking point” after more than a year of disruption, saying repeated delays have left them with little confidence in TfL’s reopening promises.
Dave Thompson, who owns Rapid Mechanical Services situated a stone’s throw from the roundabout, was forced to shut his dream business in February due to financial problems caused by the closure.
“It’s been a sham from day one, really,” he told MyLondon “Since June it’s been poor – business has been going down. People don’t want to come into the area, and couriers are struggling to deliver parts – they used to come in every day and now it’s once a week.
“It’s been a farce. The bottom line is, we need some sort of compensation, and if it is coming, it’s too late, and it’s not going to be enough. We’ve gone down by 67 per cent. The business can’t sustain itself any longer so [on] Friday we’re actually shutting the doors.”
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