Preparatory work is now being carried out in Kent in England to improve the busy A229, linking the M2 and M20 motorways. The route runs between junction 6 of the M20 in Maidstone and junction 3 of the M2 at Blue Bell Hill.
This major improvement project is intended to cut congestion and reduce journey times for drivers. The A229 suffers regular delays at peak periods, with heavy traffic levels resulting in long queues of slow-moving vehicles. With the planned construction of the Lower Thames Crossing, improving the capacity of key links such as the A229 will be of prime importance.
This phase of the work is expected to take three months to complete and is being managed by Kent County Council (KCC). Specialists from AECOM are carrying out survey works on ground conditions, the location of underground utilities and drainage.
A bid has been put in for the work to be part of the Department for Transport (DfT) Major Road Network funding programme. This has been established to help pay for large local transport schemes that cannot be funded through normal routes.
Improvements will be carried out to the Lord Lees Roundabout and Maidstone-bound slip roads on Blue Bell Hill. A new separate left-turn lane will be built from the M2 London-bound to Taddington Roundabout. The existing A229 Maidstone-bound link will be widened to three lanes between the Lord Lees and Cobtree roundabouts.
The work will be carried out in numerous stages, with major construction planned for 2028 and final completion expected in 2031, before the Lower Thames Crossing opens.
