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Britain's busiest motorway turns 30 years old this Saturday.

The M25 divides opinion, with many praising the 117-mile ring road for boosting economic growth and creating more links with the rest of the country.

But others claim all it has done is attract more and more traffic, while the relentless traffic jams have earned it a reputation as the nation's largest car park.

The M25 was designed to carry up to 100,000 vehicles each day, but nearly double that use the motorway today.

A Royal Commission first suggested a ring road for London in 1905, but the first part of the M25 did not open until September 1975.

The final 13-mile section was opened by then prime minister Margaret Thatcher on October 29 1986.

There was talk of the M25 being only two lanes wide at one stage but it opened with three lanes in each direction, with various widening schemes introduced as the years went on.

A 2013 AA poll of more than 23,500 drivers found that the motorway was the most hated in Britain.

Nine things you never knew about the M25 At 117 miles it is the second longest city bypass in Europe, behind the 122-mile Berliner Ring in Germany

The section to the west of London around Heathrow Airport is one of the busiest parts of road in Europe

The M25 has 33 junctions and 234 bridges, including the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge at the Dartford-Thurrock River Crossing

It was the inspiration for Chris Rea's 1989 hit song The Road To Hell

The route was subject to no fewer than 39 public inquiries lasting a total of more than 700 sitting days

The inquiries led to the doubling in length of the tunnel at Epping Forest in Essex and extensive cuttings near Swanley and Sevenoaks in Kent to shield an area of outstanding natural beauty

In total, two million tonnes of concrete and 3.5 million tonnes of asphalt were used during construction

More than 2.1 million trees and shrubs were also planted

The full motorway construction at the time cost £909 million over 11 years, or roughly £7.5 million per mile

AA spokesman Jack Cousens said: "The M25 is an important strategic road, but it is subject of much derision from the public.

"We wish the M25 a happy anniversary, but hope that within the next 30 years answers are found to the eternal problems of congestion."

Most of the capital's roads are managed by Transport for London, but the M25 is under the remit of Highways England (HE), which manages the country's motorways and major roads.

Drivers could face major delays over the coming years during work to expand Heathrow airport.

The M25 will be required to run underneath the third runway - either by digging a tunnel or constructing the runway on a slope over the road.

A HE report published by the Department for Transport warned of a "substantial risk of excessive customer frustration" during what could be a "prolonged period of disruption" for drivers.

This weekend also marks the 25th anniversary of the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge at the Dartford Crossing, which was opened by the Queen on October 30 1991.

Under the Dartford-Thurrock Crossing Act of 1988, toll paying should have stopped when the crossing had been paid for - a date deemed as March 31 2002.

But charges have been kept on under a separate year-2000 Transport Act with the funds raised going to the Treasury where they are ring-fenced for transport purposes.

Highways England has proposed building a multi-billion-pound road tunnel under the Thames east of Gravesend in a bid to reduce pressure on the Dartford Crossing.

The Lower Thames Crossing - which will cost an estimated £4.3 billion to £5.9 billion would be the first new crossing of the Thames east of London since the QEII bridge opened.

The plan is being opposed by a number of local MPs who want to see new crossings built at Dartford.

Around 50 million people use the QEII bridge each year, up by 20 million since it was opened.

Steve Gooding, director of motoring research charity the RAC Foundation, said: "Motorists queuing today, particularly those heading northbound into the original tunnels, will be wondering whether the Government's plans for a new crossing further down the Thames Estuary will be enough to tackle this notorious bottleneck, or whether the £145 million they pay each year couldn't usefully fund improvements at the existing site."

Highways England's regional director, Simon Jones, said both the M25 and the QEII bridge play a "vital role" in getting people to their destinations.

He went on: "Thirty years since its opening in 1986, the M25 continues to boost economic growth as well as providing the surrounding communities with vastly improved links to the rest of the country.

"And 25 years ago, the QEII bridge opened at the Dartford Crossing, providing an indispensable extra link across the Thames estuary, helping up to 50 million vehicles cross each year."