Spotted by sotonsteve at the end of last year and captured on dashcam today (so quality not great), are changes to the lighting at the M25 J12/M3 J2 Thorpe interchange. There has been some modification of the lighting on the M25 clockwise (wb) to M3 south, slip.
The Philips MAs are still there at the start of the slip and were working in November, but immediately past the footbridge which crosses the carriageway, 3 temporary columns have been installed high up on the left hand side of the cutting, each fitted with SON Sapphires, post top mounted. This image shows the 2nd (left) and 3rd columns (above blue sign). The 3rd lantern is dayburning, the 1st column is behind the camera. GEC bricks background right.
At the point the slip splits for Southampton and Richmond, three of the original columns have had their GEC bricks removed, and been fitted with SON Sapphires.
This image shows (left) the 1st and 2nd columns. Third lantern is behind the gantry and is dayburning.
The GEC lanterns behind the gantry on the left, weren't working in November 2016.
Well the columns in the first picture have been removed, as have the SON fitted columns in the 2nd picture and replaced with new Stainton folded metal (hex) style columns with short brackets and what I believe are Phosco P850 LED lanterns.
They are the same as in this next image which shows the view beyond the gantry in my original post. Its a dash cam pic so not the best quality and not helped by the sun being on the camera. All of the original columns on this slip road have also been removed. Some what ironic that the new columns are very similar to the old, and the side profile and length of the LED lanterns, similar to the GEC bricks that they have replaced.
Is this the first use of LED on the M25? (although I suppose technically this is probably the M3
)