As the Brexit transition period draws to a close, Highways England has tested a contingency on the M20 in Kent to cope with lorries waiting to cross the Channel.

The London-bound carriageway between Maidstone and Ashford has a moveable barrier to create a contraflow for non-goods vehicles so that the coastbound road can be used for queueing traffic.

The process means the M20 can stay open for all traffic, compared to Operation Stack which meant the coastbound road was shut completely.

The barrier can be deployed very quickly due to the “zipper” machine used to transfer concrete blocks onto the carriageway.

(Picture – Highways England)