86 drivers caught driving wrong way on a motorway.

bubs999

It takes a lot of time and work to carry out rearward relief on a motorway closure.
For a incident where it's only closed for 25 minutes, this wouldn't happen.
I've done it many times over the years and it's not as easy as just letting people drive the wrong way.

The entry slips have to be closed and manned by highways or police to prevent anyone else joining, that can take time to arrange. Then you have to arrange a diversion off the motorway, that also takes time and at least 1 patrol. Then someone else has to manually get all the vehicles off the motorway.
This usually happens once things at the scene of the accident have calmed down, all injured parties are sorted and everything is made safe.

I once had someone demand that I remove the central crash barrier and allow the cars to do a U-turn

aVdub

Been involved in one a few years back just after and down the hill (1 odd mile) from the Whitstable/Canterbury joining slip (Thanet Way) and as luck would have it there was a small loop road that was wide enough for trucks to turn and at the top of the entry slip officers were stopping traffic joining.
That was fine until the whole area ground to a halt after truck drivers unfamiliar with the area managed to block every cars width road in and around Whitstable and leading out to Faversham.
This also happened the just before the Broomfield slip around a similar time and again all traffic was diverted off and control was in place at the slip and only at the slip.
Not sure if cranes were involved, but the tiny and narrow no way out Reculver Lane was blocked for a very long time as well as Hillborough