Queensway, the Leighton Buzzard Road roundabout and London Road at Boxmoor have closure orders from 1 October. M1 northbound shut at night to 20 October.
Hertfordshire County Council has made closure orders for three stretches of Hemel Hempstead, each for about ten days of works from 1 October:
- B487 Queensway, from the Leighton Buzzard Road roundabout to the Marlowes roundabout, and the Leighton Buzzard Road roundabout itself, with Leighton Buzzard Road closed from Aldwyck Court to Bury Road and the end of Warners End Road
- A4251 London Road at Boxmoor, 840m from Felden Lane to the Station Road roundabout, with the first 170m of Fishery Road
- Long Chaulden and Northridge Way, Chaulden
All three are “except for access” and apply only when the signs are out. The details are below.
On the motorway, the M1 northbound closes overnight between junctions 6 and 8, 10pm to 5am, Monday to Thursday nights until Tuesday 20 October. National Highways’ closure report issued on 5 October books every night this week to Thursday 8 October, and the same nights:
- A414 eastbound, Breakspear junction to Park Street Roundabout, closed 8pm to 6am, Monday 5 to Friday 9 October
- M1 southbound, junction 9 to junction 8, closed 9pm to 5am, Monday 5 to Friday 9 October, for sign work
On the railway, London Northwestern trains running only between London Euston and Tring do not run on Saturday 10 October or Saturday 17 October.
Updated 6 October: the county’s 30 September notice confirms the Toms Lane closure and adds the Queensway, London Road, Long Chaulden and Potten End orders; the A414 and M1 junction 9 to 8 night closures now run every night to Friday 9 October.
This page is checked against the primary sources every time it is updated. Last checked 6 October 2026.
M1 northbound: ten nights closed between junctions 6 and 8 from 5 October
National Highways’ scheme page for the resurfacing between junction 6a and junction 8 gives the block: M1 northbound between junctions 6 and 8, closed overnight Monday to Thursday, 10pm to 5am, from 5 to 20 October (National Highways). The page still carries its 10 September update, unchanged on 6 October.
The seven-day closure report issued on 5 October confirms week one. It lists Monday 5 to Thursday 8 October, 10pm to 5am, for “carriageway reconstruction/renewal works”, and nothing on the Friday (National Highways closure report). Weeks two and three fall outside that report’s window, so they rest on the scheme page for now.
If the programme holds, the closed nights are:
- Week one: Monday 5 to Thursday 8 October
- Week two: Monday 12 to Thursday 15 October
- Week three: Monday 19 and Tuesday 20 October
The northbound diversion is:
- leave the M1 at junction 6
- west on the A405 North Orbital Road
- join Watford Road, then north on the A41
- east on the A414 to rejoin the M1 at junction 8
The scheme is £4 million of resurfacing on a stretch National Highways says carries 125,000 vehicles a day. It began on 20 July and runs to October 2026.
What it means for you: coming home to Hemel up the M1 after 10pm on a weeknight in that window, you come off at junction 6 and through Watford Road and the A41. Allow an extra half hour. National Highways warns that bad weather or other problems can move the dates.
The A414 towards St Albans closes every night to 9 October
The closure report books A414 eastbound, from the Breakspear junction to Park Street Roundabout, closed 8pm to 6am every night from Monday 5 to Friday 9 October. The Breakspear junction is where the A414 meets the M1 at junction 8, so this is the main road out of Hemel towards St Albans.
The scheme text gives the reason as section 278 and bypass works on behalf of Galldris Group. A section 278 agreement is highway work paid for by a developer rather than by National Highways.
This is the same order that shut the A414 westbound over the weekend of 25 to 28 September. It came into force on 11 September and can stand for 18 months. It allows:
- a 40mph limit, 24 hours a day, on the approaches to Park Street Roundabout
- overnight closures, 8pm to 6am
- full weekend closures, 8pm Friday to 6am Monday
- a 2.4 metre width restriction in the offside lane
The notice says the works are “expected to last until August 2027” (Public Notice Portal, 10 September 2026). The full background is in our report on the A414 weekend closures.
What it means for you: Monday to Thursday are also M1 closure nights, and the M1 diversion uses the A414 eastbound from the A41 back to junction 8. That stretch of the A414 is west of the Breakspear junction and stays open, but expect heavier traffic through Two Waters and along the A414 after 10pm.
M1 junction 9 and the southbound closures
Junction 9 is the Redbourn and Markyate turn. The closure report issued on 5 October books the M1 southbound from junction 9 to junction 8 closed 9pm to 5am every night from Monday 5 to Friday 9 October, for sign erection. On Monday to Thursday that sits alongside the northbound closure, so the motorway is shut in both directions either side of Hemel for part of each night.
The report gives no diversion for the junction 9 to 8 closure, so follow the signs on the night. The junction 8 to 7, M25 junction 20 and junction 9 slip road closures of 1 and 2 October have gone from the report.
The next three weeks, night by night
The closure report is re-issued every day and covers that night and the next six, so a week that looks clear can gain a closure inside 24 hours. The one we used was issued on 5 October and runs to Sunday 11 October. Check it again before a long drive.
Trains: no Euston to Tring stopping trains on 10 and 17 October
National Rail lists engineering work between London Euston and North Wembley on two Saturdays, closing some lines.
- Saturday 10 October: London Northwestern trains running between London Euston and Tring only will not run. Trains running beyond Tring still operate. Until 21:00, trains to Milton Keynes Central, Northampton or Birmingham New Street leave Euston slightly earlier or arrive slightly later (National Rail, Tring 10 October).
- Saturday 17 October: trains that start or finish at Tring will not run. National Rail advises using other services between Euston and Tring, and says trains to Milton Keynes Central, Northampton and Birmingham New Street will leave Euston slightly earlier (National Rail, Tring 17 October).
Neither notice lists which stations the Tring trains serve. On a normal day they are the stopping services through Kings Langley, Apsley, Hemel Hempstead and Berkhamsted. If you use one of those stations on either Saturday, check the journey planner rather than assume your usual train.
Queensway, London Road and the county closures
Hertfordshire County Council advertises its temporary closures twice. A notice that says the council “intends to make” an order is a proposal, and the date can move. A notice that says the council “has made” the order is a decision. Both stay valid for up to 18 months, and both bite only when the signs go out.
The county’s notice of 30 September, printed in Hemel Today, made orders for three stretches of Hemel Hempstead, each in force from 1 October with 10 days of works scheduled. All three are closed “except for access”, and the notice does not say what the works are (Hertfordshire County Council, 30 September 2026).
- Queensway and the Leighton Buzzard Road roundabout. The order covers B487 Queensway from the Leighton Buzzard Road roundabout to the Marlowes roundabout (166m), the roundabout itself, A4146 Leighton Buzzard Road from Aldwyck Court to Bury Road (330m, with a 30mph limit when signed) and the last 61m of Warners End Road. The signed diversions run via the A4147 Link Road and Redbourn Road, or Galley Hill and Gadebridge Road.
- A4251 London Road, Boxmoor. 840m from Felden Lane to the Station Road roundabout, plus 170m of Fishery Road from the London Road roundabout. Through traffic is sent round by the A41 and A414 Two Waters Way.
- Long Chaulden and Northridge Way. 76m of Long Chaulden from Northridge Way to Chaulden Terrace, and 188m of Northridge Way between Lower Sales and Upper Sales. The diversion is long: St Johns Road, Anchor Lane, Heath Lane, Lockers Park Lane and Warners End Road.
The same notice made shorter orders for Rectory Lane, Berkhamsted (28m off the High Street, three days from 5 October, no diversion), Tringford Road, Tring (800m from the Lower Icknield Way roundabout, five days from 5 October), Pipers Hill, Great Gaddesden (three days from 5 October), and, from 7 October for 20 days, Roman Road and Frithsden Lane, Potten End, closed except for access. Two Hemel footpaths close too: 20m of Crawley Drive and 40m beside 401 to 411 Warners End Road.
Breakspear Way and the Green Lane roundabout were booked to close for three nights from Monday 28 September, and Cholesbury Road, Tring for five days from the same date. We could not confirm from any first-party source whether either ran to plan (Hertfordshire County Council notice, 23 September 2026).
| Road | From | Length of works | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queensway, Leighton Buzzard Road and its roundabout, Hemel Hempstead | 1 October | 10 days | Order made |
| A4251 London Road and Fishery Road, Boxmoor | 1 October | 10 days | Order made |
| Long Chaulden and Northridge Way, Hemel Hempstead | 1 October | 10 days | Order made |
| Toms Lane, Kings Langley | 5 October | 22 days | Order made |
| Roman Road and Frithsden Lane, Potten End | 7 October | 20 days | Order made |
| Ten rural roads around Berkhamsted, Tring, Wigginton, Bovingdon and Aldbury | 12 October | 5 days | Proposed |
| Little Heath Lane, Potten End | 12 October | 3 days | Proposed |
| Hunters Park, Berkhamsted | 12 October | 3 days | Proposed |
| Caddington Common, Markyate | 13 October | 2 days | Proposed |
| B440 Leighton Buzzard Road, Water End | 14 October | 8 days | Proposed |
| Eight rural roads around Berkhamsted, Potten End, Bovingdon, Flamstead, Wigginton, Great Gaddesden and Ringshall | 19 October | 5 days | Proposed |
| Church Street, Bovingdon | 19 October | 3 days | Proposed |
Sources: county notices of 23 September, 30 September and 2 October 2026.
Toms Lane, Kings Langley is now confirmed: the county’s notice of 2 October says it has made the order, in force from 5 October with 22 days of gas works. It closes from its junction with Hilltop Road for about 80 metres. The signed route goes round most of Kings Langley, via Primrose Hill, Station Road, Gallows Hill, Hamilton Road, Hunton Bridge Hill, Langley Lane and Bedmond Road.
The ten-road order from 12 October
The biggest proposal is one order for ten roads in the west of the borough, closed except for access for five days from 12 October. They are:
- A416 Kingshill Way, Berkhamsted, 516m from Kings Road to the Chesham Road roundabout
- Station Road, Tring, 2,224m from London Road to Beggars Lane
- Station Road, Aldbury, 1,390m from Northfield Road to Trooper Road
- Chesham Road, Hawridge, 1,196m from Hog Lane to Hagdale Lane
- Hog Lane, Berkhamsted, 327m from Chesham Road
- Crawleys Lane and Bottom House Lane, Wigginton, 2,552m
- The Twist, Wigginton, 868m from Vicarage Road to Fox Road
- Gadmore Lane, Tring and Shire Lane, Hastoe, 3,108m from Hastoe Hill
- Bulstrode Lane, Bovingdon, 1,524m from Featherbed Lane to Rucklers Lane
- Flaunden Lane, Bovingdon and Birch Lane, Flaunden, 3,194m from Chipperfield Road to Bragmans Lane
Kingshill Way and Station Road, Tring are the two that will be felt most. Station Road is the road to Tring station, and its diversion runs via London Road, Tring Road and New Ground Road. The notice gives five days for the works but does not say whether every road closes at once.
B440 Leighton Buzzard Road, Water End would close for 133m between Potten End Hill and Red Lion Lane for eight days from 14 October, with a long diversion through Dagnall, Ringshall and Berkhamsted.
All of these are still proposals: no confirming notice had reached the Public Notice Portal by 6 October. We will check again before 12 October.
The eight-road order from 19 October
A second proposal in the 30 September notice would close eight rural roads except for access for five days from 19 October, with no waiting while work is under way: Ivy House Lane, Berkhamsted (166m from The Common); Vicarage Road, Potten End (880m, Nettleden Road to Water End Road); Bovingdon Green (417m); Delmer End Lane, Flamstead (953m); Hagdale Lane, Wigginton (1,050m); Dodds Lane, Great Gaddesden (274m from Piccotts End); Bullbeggars Lane, Berkhamsted (692m from London Road); and Beacon Road, Ringshall (169m). Church Street, Bovingdon would close for 15m near Bury Farm for three days from 19 October, for a water main repair.
The eleven from August are still nowhere
Eleven closures were advertised on 19 August for 7 and 8 September. No confirming notice has ever appeared. They were Great Elms Road, Barnacres Road and Horselers in Nash Mills and Apsley; St Katherines Way and Bridle Way in Berkhamsted; Gaddesden Row and Gaddesden Lane; the road to Hillcrest off Felden Lane; Pancake Lane and Alexandra Road in Hemel Hempstead; and Old Watling Street and Trowley Hill Road at Flamstead. Treat them as pending rather than dropped.
Station Road, Berkhamsted: objections close at noon on 14 October
Dacorum Borough Council is proposing to change the parking on Station Road, Berkhamsted. Objections close at noon on Wednesday 14 October 2026, which is now eight days away.
The proposal would:
- introduce no waiting at any time on 64m of Station Road starting 123m north west of Gravel Path, and on 15m south east of Castle Street
- put the stretch from Gravel Path to Castle Street into permit parking Zone V, Monday to Friday, 9am to 10am and 2pm to 3pm
- create a two hour limited waiting bay, no return within two hours, Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, on 34m of Station Road south east of Castle Street
- remove the existing limited waiting bay on Gravel Path
The papers are at The Forum and online under “New DBC Traffic Regulation Orders”. Objections go through Let’s Talk Dacorum (notice published 9 September 2026).
What it means for you: a two-slot permit window, 9am to 10am and 2pm to 3pm, is the standard design for stopping station commuters parking all day on a residential street. If you park on Station Road for the train, this is the one that affects you.
The A41 through Hemel has been renamed, and the papers come down on 7 October
A Hertfordshire order took effect on Monday 31 August 2026 and corrects road names left over from the days when these were trunk roads. It changes:
- A41 to A4251 Hempstead Road
- A414 to A41 Two Waters Way and Interchange
- A5 to A5183 Dunstable Road
This is housekeeping rather than a change on the ground, but it is the legal basis for the speed limits on those roads. The documents can be viewed until 7 October 2026 at Farnham House in Stevenage or on the county’s traffic orders pages, under Dacorum, reference J00126.
Apsley station: the car park is still gone
Anyone who drives to Apsley has already lost their space. Network Rail is installing three new lifts on the station footbridge in an £8.9 million Access for All project, and the station car park is a contractor’s compound.
- All customer parking spaces are unavailable, along with vehicle access to the station approach road. That includes pick up and drop off.
- Pedestrian access stays open and trains keep running.
- Platforms are temporarily shortened while the lift shafts go up.
- Network Rail’s advice is to park at Hemel Hempstead or Kings Langley instead.
Only platform 4 has step free access today. The lifts are due to be finished and the station fully step free by Christmas 2026 (Network Rail). The page was unchanged when we rechecked it on 1 October.
Belswains Lane: the plan is no longer on public view
Hertfordshire County Council made a permanent order introducing no waiting at any time on parts of Belswains Lane and Belmont Road, Hemel Hempstead. It came into effect on Friday 14 August 2026 and it stands.
The scheme plan showing exactly which stretches are covered, reference D00226, was published under Dacorum on the county’s traffic orders pages and could be viewed only until 23 September 2026. That window closed on 23 September.
What it means for you: the lines on the ground are the restriction now. If you park on Belswains Lane, read the signs rather than the habit, because enforcement follows the order whether or not you saw the plan.
Where to check before you drive
- Hertfordshire roadworks map: the county publishes live and planned works on one.network, which is the same feed the signs come from.
- Motorway and trunk road closures: the National Highways closure report lists every closure on the M1, M25, A41 and A414 for the coming seven nights, and it is reloaded every day.
- Report a pothole or a broken street light: through Hertfordshire County Council.
Dacorum Borough Council does not run the roads. It runs the car parks, the pavements outside its own buildings and the parks. Anything involving a carriageway, a pothole, a road closure or a traffic order is Hertfordshire County Council.
What parking costs when you get there
Charges apply 8am to 6pm, seven days a week, and Blue Badge holders park free with no time limit in any council off-street car park.
| Car park | Up to 1 hour | Up to 4 hours | Up to 10 hours | Annual season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gadebridge Lane, Hemel Hempstead | Free | Free | Free | N/A |
| Durrants Hill, Hemel Hempstead | £0.60 | £1.60 | £3.50 | £150 |
| Wood Lane End, Hemel Hempstead | £0.70 | £1.60 | £3.50 | £250 |
| Queensway, Hemel Hempstead | £1.50 | £2.30 | £5.00 | £150 |
| Water Gardens (North), Hemel Hempstead | £2.00 | £2.50 | £6.00 | N/A |
| Canal Fields, Berkhamsted | Free | Free | N/A | N/A |
| St John's Well Lane, Berkhamsted | £2.00 | £3.90 | £8.20 | N/A |
| The Forge, Tring | Free | £2.10 | £4.50 | £450 |
| Church Yard, Frogmore Street, Tring | £3.10 | £3.10 | £6.70 | N/A |
All figures from Dacorum Borough Council car park charges, a page which still carries a last-updated date of 22 January 2026.
What it means for you: the price spread inside one town is bigger than the spread between towns. A full day at Water Gardens (North) is £6.00 and a full day at Durrants Hill is £3.50. In Tring, the first hour at The Forge, Victoria Hall, Frogmore Street (East) and Old School Yard is free, while the first hour at Church Yard is £3.10. Berkhamsted’s Canal Fields is free for up to four hours and is a five-minute walk from the High Street.
The three station car parks are a separate system, run by Saba for London Northwestern Railway, and they are dearer than anything the council owns. Apsley is out of use altogether while the lifts go in. The full picture of times, fares and station parking is on our page on Hemel Hempstead train times to London.
If you are weighing the commute against the price of a house, our Hemel Hempstead house prices page sets out what each of the three towns actually costs.
Frequently asked questions
When is the M1 closed at Hemel Hempstead next?
Tonight. The M1 northbound between junctions 6 and 8 is closed overnight, 10pm to 5am, Monday to Thursday from 5 to 20 October, and the M1 southbound from junction 9 to junction 8 closes 9pm to 5am every night to Friday 9 October.
Is the A414 at Park Street closed this week?
The closure report books the A414 eastbound, Breakspear junction to Park Street Roundabout, closed 8pm to 6am every night from Monday 5 to Friday 9 October. The order allows more overnight and weekend closures until the works end, which the notice expects in August 2027.
Is Queensway closed in Hemel Hempstead?
The county has made an order closing B487 Queensway between the Leighton Buzzard Road and Marlowes roundabouts, the Leighton Buzzard Road roundabout and part of Leighton Buzzard Road, except for access, from 1 October with ten days of works scheduled. It applies only when the signs are out. A4251 London Road at Boxmoor has a matching order for the same dates.
Is Breakspear Way still closed?
It was booked to close for three nights from Monday 28 September, which on time means the nights of 28, 29 and 30 September. We could not confirm that it ran to plan. The order stays valid for 18 months, so watch for the signs if the work overruns.
Are there trains from Hemel Hempstead to London on Saturday 10 or 17 October?
Some, but check first. Engineering work between Euston and North Wembley means London Northwestern trains running only between Euston and Tring will not run on either Saturday. Those are normally the stopping trains for Kings Langley, Apsley, Hemel Hempstead and Berkhamsted. Trains running beyond Tring still operate.
Can I still park at Apsley station?
No. The station car park is a construction compound while Network Rail installs three lifts, and all customer spaces and the approach road are closed to vehicles, including for pick up and drop off. Network Rail suggests parking at Hemel Hempstead or Kings Langley instead. The work is due to finish by Christmas 2026.
What does a “proposed” closure order mean?
Hertfordshire County Council advertises a closure twice. The first notice says it intends to make an order, which is a plan that can move. The second says it has made the order, which is a decision. Either way the restriction only applies when the signs are physically out, and the order itself stays valid for up to 18 months, so a proposal whose date has passed is not necessarily dead.
Who do I report a pothole to in Hemel Hempstead?
Hertfordshire County Council, not Dacorum Borough Council. The county is the highway authority for every road in the borough. Dacorum runs the car parks and the parks.
Is parking free anywhere in Hemel Hempstead town centre?
Gadebridge Lane is free for any length of stay, and Cowper Road is free for the first hour. In Berkhamsted, Canal Fields is free for up to four hours. In Tring, four car parks give you the first hour free. Charges elsewhere run 8am to 6pm every day of the week.
Sources
- National Highways road closure report, the seven-day workbook issued 5 October 2026 and covering 5 to 11 October, downloaded on 6 October, for the M1 junction 6 to 8 and junction 9 to 8 closures, the A414 eastbound closures and the contractor named against the A414 works.
- National Highways, M1 junction 6a to junction 8 maintenance, updated 10 September 2026 and rechecked 6 October, for the 5 to 20 October northbound overnight closures, the northbound diversion, the £4 million cost and the 125,000 vehicles a day figure.
- National Highways notice published 10 September 2026 for the A414 order: the 40mph limit, the overnight and full weekend closures, the 2.4 metre width restriction, the 11 September start and the August 2027 expected end.
- Hertfordshire County Council notice dated 23 September 2026, printed in Hemel Today, for the made orders on Breakspear Way and Cholesbury Road with their extents, dates, contractors and diversions, and for the proposed ten-road order, Little Heath Lane, Hunters Park, Caddington Common and B440 Water End closures.
- Hertfordshire County Council notice published 30 September 2026, printed in Hemel Today, for the made orders on Queensway, Leighton Buzzard Road, London Road and Fishery Road, Long Chaulden and Northridge Way, Rectory Lane, Tringford Road, Pipers Hill, Potten End and the two footpaths, and the proposed eight-road and Church Street, Bovingdon closures from 19 October.
- Hertfordshire County Council notice published 2 October 2026 for the made Toms Lane, Kings Langley order.
- Hertfordshire County Council notice published 18 September 2026 for the Toms Lane, Kings Langley closure, its 5 October start, its 22 day duration and its diversion.
- Public Notice Portal traffic notices within four miles of Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Tring and Kings Langley postcodes, searched on 6 October 2026, for the absence of a confirming notice for the 12 October closures.
- Dacorum Borough Council notice published 9 September 2026 and Let’s Talk Dacorum, rechecked 1 October, for the Station Road, Berkhamsted parking proposal and the noon, 14 October objection deadline.
- Hertfordshire County Council notice published 19 August 2026 for the eleven closures proposed from 7 and 8 September.
- Hertfordshire County Council notice published 26 August 2026 for the speed limit amendment and revocation orders, reference J00126.
- Hertfordshire County Council notice published 12 August 2026 for the Belswains Lane and Belmont Road waiting restrictions and the 23 September viewing deadline.
- National Rail, Tring 10 October and National Rail, Tring 17 October for the two Saturday alterations, rechecked 6 October.
- Network Rail, Apsley Access for All, rechecked 1 October, for the £8.9m lift project, the car park closure and the Christmas 2026 completion date.
- Dacorum Borough Council, car park charges for tariffs, charging hours and Blue Badge rules.
- Live works: one.network for Hertfordshire and Hertfordshire County Council roadworks.
Roadworks move. Overnight motorway closures are cancelled in bad weather and temporary orders take effect only when the signs are out. Check the live map on the day. Checked 6 October 2026.
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