M4 motorway London to Heathrow section closed - BBC News
The main motorway link from London to Heathrow Airport has been closed to all traffic after a crack was found in a "sensitive area" of the road structure.
The M4 is shut between junctions one and three and is expected to remain closed for up to five days.
Large vehicles were already banned from the elevated section, known as the Boston Manor Viaduct.
The Highways Agency said it expects all work to be finished before the start of the Olympic Games later this month.
The full closure of the motorway in both directions between Chiswick and Feltham began at 20:00 BST on Friday.
Vital routeRestrictions on vehicles weighing more than 7.5 tonnes had been in place since March when hairline cracks were discovered in some of the steel beams.
The agency said on Friday workers "found a further crack in a sensitive location which requires us to keep the viaduct closed until the repair is complete".
A spokesperson added: "We anticipate that this could take up to five days.
"We expect the ongoing remedial work programme will be completed to enable the viaduct to operate at its full capacity in time for the London 2012 Olympic Games later this month."
Diversions have been put in place along the A312 and the A4.
The M4 is the main route between Heathrow Airport and central London and will be vital for transporting visitors into the city for the Games.
It is also the major road link from London to the West Country and Wales, as well as being a heavily-used commuter route.
Just before Christmas, the Hammersmith Flyover - part of the same major route in and out of the capital - was closed for five months after defects were found with its structure.
Car crash leaves toddler and man dead - Daily Telegraph
Paul Netherton, Assistant Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall Police, described the incident as "extremely traumatic".
He said: "It was a head-on collision at speed. The black Vectra was coming down the hill and appears to have swerved into the path of the oncoming car. The members of the family are in a critical life-threatening condition in Derriford and Torbay hospitals.
"We are trying to identify their next of kin in southern Ireland to inform them, and the next of kin for the gentleman who has died have been informed and our thoughts are obviously with the families involved at this time.
Mr Netherton said because the driver of a police car witnessed the crash, the force has referred the matter to the Independent Police Complaints Commission as a matter of course. The officer's police car had not been pursuing the vehicles.
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