If your van delivery passes through Guildford after 21:00 this November, check the A3 works before agreeing a collection or receiving slot. The northbound route has scheduled overnight closures, and National Highways lists a separate diversion for high-sided vehicles. A delivery can still be planned around the works, but the route, vehicle and handover window need to be considered together.
This guide explains the published restrictions, what to ask your carrier and how to keep the sender and receiver working to one plan. Lucky Van can assess the transport arrangements through its scheduled delivery service; availability and timing are confirmed against the details of your job.
Information checked: 1 November 2026. Dates below are the published programme, not a live guarantee that a particular road is open. The cover is an illustrative image, not a photograph of these works.
Which A3 closures affect November deliveries?
National Highways lists the A3 Woking Road and Stoke Park bridge joint works. Its South East maintenance programme gives these northbound restrictions:
| Published period | Section closed | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 26 October–8 November 2026 | A3 northbound, Dennis Interchange to Clay Lane | 21:00–06:00 overnight |
| 18–21 November 2026 | A3 northbound, Dennis Interchange to Clay Lane | 21:00–06:00 overnight |
The hours are local UK time and cross midnight. For a booking near the end of either period, check the exact night in the official road closure report. Avoid assuming whether an end date describes the final evening or the following morning.
A collection time alone does not tell you whether the job overlaps a closure. Loading, travel to the affected junction and unloading all sit between the two handovers. Ask the carrier to consider when the vehicle is likely to reach that section, including the return journey where relevant.
This programme concerns a particular stretch and direction. It does not establish the status of every other part of the A3, local access road or connecting motorway on your delivery date.
Follow the diversion for your vehicle
The published northbound diversion leaves Dennis Interchange and uses the A25 east towards Parkway, then the A3100 to rejoin at Clay Lane. The high-sided route first uses the A3 southbound to University, then The Chase, Guildford Park Road, Bridge Street and A322 before joining the A25/A3100 route. Both are described on the official scheme page.
Have the carrier confirm the appropriate diversion. Do not select a route from the van’s description alone or assume that a suggested sat-nav shortcut is suitable. Share known height, width or weight restrictions at your premises, including covered loading areas and entrance barriers.
The route summary here helps you discuss the booking; it is not turn-by-turn navigation. The driver needs to follow current signs and restrictions. If your receiving team has a preferred entrance, check that its directions still make sense from the diversion rather than sending instructions based only on the usual approach.
Choose the receiving window before dispatch
The useful decision is whether the receiver can accept the load within a realistic window. Moving the collection earlier may help, but only if the supplier can release the complete order and the carrier can confirm the revised arrangement.
Start with the least flexible point. A warehouse may require an appointment, an office may have a reserved goods lift, or a shop may need its manager present. Ask what happens if the vehicle reaches the site after that arrangement expires. A telephone number is useful only when the person answering can authorise a change.
- Earlier collection: confirm that every package will be ready and accessible.
- Revised receiving slot: obtain the receiver’s agreement before changing the transport booking.
- A different delivery date: check stock release, site access and carrier availability again.
- Keeping the original plan: ask the carrier to assess the diversion and agree how a delay will be reported.
Do not build the plan around a fixed extra journey time taken from a general article. The actual allowance depends on the job and conditions. Ask for an assessed arrival window and a clear update point, rather than treating a map estimate as a promised arrival.
Send one complete brief to the carrier
A complete brief lets the transport team assess the load and route together. Start with collection and delivery postcodes, full addresses, the requested date and the opening hours at both ends. Distinguish when a building opens from when your goods will actually be ready.
Add package count, packed dimensions, estimated weight and photographs where helpful. Include handling needs, steps, loading bays and any requirement to book access. A smaller vehicle is not automatically a suitable answer to a diversion: the goods must still fit and be handled safely.
Finally, name the people who can release and receive the goods. Give the booking reference and explain which part of the timing is fixed. If there is another delivery after yours, or a return collection, disclose it at the enquiry stage so the whole sequence can be considered.
Keep the agreed version in one message or document. If the date, quantity or destination changes, send the revised brief before dispatch and obtain confirmation. An update sent only to the warehouse may leave the driver and receiver working from different instructions.
Check these details before the van leaves
Use this short checklist when you confirm the job, then repeat the time-sensitive checks before collection:
- Check the A3 scheme page for the relevant section and direction.
- Review the official closure report for the specific travel night.
- Check National Highways’ current incidents and delays for additional disruption.
- Confirm that the carrier has assessed the route for the booked vehicle.
- Confirm the goods are ready and the receiver can honour the agreed window.
- Share the current contact numbers and the agreed procedure for a timing change.
If something changes, update both handovers. For example, a later departure can affect the receiving appointment even when the collection itself remains possible. Ask the receiver for a revised arrangement before assuming that somebody will wait beyond their agreed hours.
Use a clear message for timing changes
The receiver needs an actionable update: what is changing, what needs their agreement and when the next update will arrive. You can adapt this example once the carrier has assessed the trip:
Our delivery from [collection address] to [delivery address] on [date] may be affected by the A3 overnight works near Guildford. The carrier is checking the suitable diversion. Can you confirm whether you can receive the goods within [proposed window], and who can authorise a revised slot if needed? We will confirm the agreed plan before dispatch. Please keep [name and number] as the receiving contact.
Replace the placeholders with confirmed details. If a new window has not been agreed, say that it is being assessed. Avoid telling the sender that delivery is confirmed while you are still waiting for the receiver’s answer.
Arrange your delivery around confirmed details
The practical sequence is straightforward: check the relevant closure, let the carrier assess the vehicle and route, agree both handovers, and keep everyone on the same written plan. Repeat the road checks close to departure because a saved schedule cannot account for every change on the day.
For a planned collection involving Guildford or an A3 journey, request a Lucky Van delivery quote with the full addresses, load details and receiving window. Mention any fixed appointment and the date of travel so the team can assess the transport before you confirm the booking.
