It has, in fact, felt like the never ending story – delays to the start date for construction were followed by delays to its completion, which were in turn followed by delays to the announcement of a new reopening date.
A lot has gone on and as we move into 2026 it is worth taking a look back at everything that has happened with Gallows Corner over the past year.
Everything that happened with Gallows Corner in 2025
Initial announcement and reaction (February-April)
At the end of February, Transport for London (TfL) confirmed plans to refurbish the Gallows Corner flyover, announcing that the first phase of the project would see lane closures from March 10 until June.
Havering politicians welcomed the long-awaited renewal project, but some predicted it would be a “massive pain” for the borough.
A hint of the hold-ups to come became apparent at the beginning of March, when the start of the lane closures was pushed back to March 15.
Towards the end of March, the issue of traffic congestion was raised at a Havering Council meeting, where council leader Cllr Ray Morgon said TfL had “assured the council that a detailed [traffic] mitigation plan has been developed”.
Preparations, junction closes and impact (May-July)
By the time May rolled around, TfL had confirmed a start date for the full closure of the Gallows Corner junction: June 23.
Ahead of the shutdown date, businesses reacted fearing the closure would be “devastating” for trade.
Only a week into the closure, at the beginning of July, one told the Recorder it had been “really tough” trying to operate as normal.
However, TfL promised the complete shutdown would avoid “more disruptive” closures in the future.
Delays announced (August-December)
On August 27, TfL confirmed the works would be delayed beyond September, which was the original completion date, due to “unforeseeable problems” with the water main replacement being carried out by Essex & Suffolk Water.
However, the new project timeline remained unclear, with Havering politicians pushing for “urgent action” on the project and saying they were “extremely concerned”.
It was not until November 7 that TfL announced a new completion date for the project – spring 2026 – and details of three phases the “revised” scheme would be delivered over.
At the end of the 2025, TfL published its first ever newsletter for the project, explaining what had been completed and what works were ahead.
