Kent County Council has made an Order to temporarily prohibit through traffic on Ford Lane, Trottiscliffe from 16th February 2020 for up to 1 day between the hours of 08:00 and 18:00.
Summary of upcoming closures on the M20 J3-5 smart motorway scheme for January.
M20 Weekend Full Closures: J4-6: Fri 9 Nov to am Mon 12 Nov*
All lanes resurfaced with lower noise surfacing: J3 (West Malling) to J4 (Leybourne).
This note is designed to update you on progress to date and next steps for the M20 J3 West Malling – J5 Aylesford smart motorway.
The BT Box has finally been removed. The Parish Council will be tidying the area up.
Main construction works on this project will start in late May 2018. This will follow the implementation of narrow lanes in early May.
To implement narrow lanes, we will require a series of overnight closures.
The works will commence at junction 3 and move east towards junction 5. We will be initially working in the verge. Once the verge works are complete, we will change the arrangement of
narrow lanes and commence working in the central reserve.
2016 to March 2019: Design works
March 2018: Start of advanced works
May 2018: Start of main works
March 2020: Completion of main works
The M20 Junctions 3 to 5 forms part of a principal route that provides key links via Dover and Channel Tunnel to and from mainland Europe. As such, it facilitates national, regional and local
travel, and regeneration and growth. Furthermore, the route provides critical access via the M26/M25 to London, the airports of Heathrow and Gatwick and to the wider South-East, South-
West and the Midlands.
The M20 at junctions 3 to 5 currently suffers frequent delays due to the volume of traffic. This scheme will provide greater traffic capacity and more reliable journey times by improving the flow of traffic.
This scheme aims to:
We are converting a section of the M20 into a Smart Motorway. Smart motorways use the latest technology to improve journeys by sensing traffic flow and setting speed limits accordingly to keep traffic moving smoothly, instead of continually stopping and starting. The smart motorway proposals on the M20, between junctions 3 to 5, involve converting most of the hard shoulder permanently to a traffic lane to create much needed extra capacity needed to support economic growth.
There will be more gantries and electronic road signs on the motorway to give information about road conditions and speed limits to help smooth the flow of traffic.
The proposed scheme will enable proactive management of the M20 carriageway, including the link roads from/to the M26 at Junction 3 (the junction with the M26) to Junction 4 including the junction 4 east bound off slip and west bound on slip.
It will also extend the existing variable mandatory speed limit to encompass the current hard shoulder between Junction 4 and Junction 5 including the junction realignments at Junction 4 and 5.
The scheme includes:
To ensure the scheme is operational on opening, there are various factors that need to be
addressed. These include:
As the hard shoulder will be converted into a fourth lane, we will be installing Emergency Refuge Areas. On this stretch of smart motorway, the distance between safe places will be approximately 1950m. This includes both Emergency Areas and hard shoulder where available.
For further information on driving on Smart Motorways, please view our guide: How to drive on a smart motorway.
Because we are working within the Highway Boundary and our environmental studies so far indicate that air quality and noise impacts are not significant, we do not believe anyone will be entitled to compensation. Details on our compensation policies are available on the Highways England website.
Teapot Lane Footbridge deck will be replaced to facilitate turning the hard shoulder into an All Lane Running lane as the height of the bridge is not high enough at the sides.
To cross the motorway without a footbridge, a temporary diversion will be possible via Station Road, which crosses the M20 approximately 450m to the west. This route is suitable for both pedestrians and cyclists with a delay of approximately 11mins and 5mins respectively.
Installation of a temporary crossing was considered but due to the limited space available this is not feasible.
We are aware this will impact people who use the local schools. We will liaise with representatives from local schools including Aylesford Primary and Pre-School and Aylesford Sports College and other local stakeholders, around the timing of the work to the bridge deck in relation to closures to minimise disruption. We will also engage with these stakeholders in relation to road safety and other relevant matters as well as working in partnership with local stakeholders to deliver projects to make life easier for those affected when the work is taking place.
