Many travellers heading to Gatwick Airport missed their flights after a section of the M25 was closed for 24 hours due to a pothole.
The pothole, which was the width of a traffic lane, appeared on the anti-clockwise section of the motorway near Surrey on Friday.
Thousands of cars were involved in tailbacks which stretched up to 16 miles.
Heavy rain had been blamed for preventing concrete from setting after overnight repairs.
The Highways Agency said: "One of these concrete sections disintegrated and another section was showing signs of distress."
The section re-opened in the early hours of Saturday morning.
