A movable barrier installed to cope with any traffic problems due to Brexit-related freight hold-ups in Kent is being removed after transport managers decided it’s not needed.
The removal will start on Saturday 24 April and take two days. It’ll mean the M20 in Kent returns to three full width lanes at the national speed limit in both directions.
The barrier has been in place on a 15-mile section of the M20 between junctions 8 and 9 since late last year as part of Operation Brock, which planned for traffic disruption at the end of the Brexit transition period. Highways England says it has agreed with the Kent Resilience Forum and the Department for Transport it is the right time to deactivate the contraflow.
The work to remove the contraflow will be completed under a full closure of the M20 on the coastbound from junctions 7 to 9 and on the London-bound from junctions 9 to 8 from 8pm on Saturday 24 April until 8am on Sunday 25 April. Work will resume overnight on the London bound carriageway from 8pm on Sunday 25 April until 6am on Monday morning 26 April to remove the barrier. Highways England says this work has been carefully planned over the weekend to reduce disruption.
Once removed, the moveable barrier will sit along the M20 should the contraflow could be re-activated in future for any future cross-channel disruption.
(Picture – Highways England)
