Highways Agency - Safe roads, Reliable journeys, Informed travellers
Newsletter - june 2002
Newsletter - June 2002
Welcome to our first newsletter keeping you informed about progress on A2 / A282 Dartford Improvement.
Introduction
The public were first consulted about proposals for an improvement of the M25/A2 junction at Dartford in 1992. However because of competing priorities and restricted funds the scheme was subsequently put on hold in 1995. The new Government undertook a further review of the trunk road programme and in 1998 announced the inclusion of the scheme in its Targeted Programme of Improvements. Since then further development of the scheme has been undertaken as described in this brochure.
The Need for the Scheme
The A2 is an important route between London, the M25 and North Kent. The A282 which includes the DartfordCrossings and approach roads forms part of the London Orbital with the M25. The existing junction between thesetwo roads (M25 Junction 2) is heavily trafficked and delays occur, with queues at peak hours extending back onto themain carriageways. Much development has taken place and is planned to take place in North Kent, leading to furthertraffic. Conflicts occur between traffic bound for the Dartford Crossings and local traffic accessing Dartford. The A2east of Junction 2 will have insufficient capacity to meet the need of future traffic demand.
What Has Changed Since 1992
The proposals retain the same features as shown in 1992 to provide direct free flow connections between the A282 and the A2 east of the interchange and widening of the A2 within existing highway boundaries to Bean interchange. The routing of the slip roads between the A282 and the A2 to its east has changed to make the layout more compact and a new direct link from the eastbound A2 to the northbound A282 is proposed. Substantial mitigation measures have been added to reduce the effects of the scheme and to deal with surface water run-off. The proposals are shown on the plan in this newsletter and can be seen in more detail at an exhibition.
Landscape and Environment
Steps are being taken to minimise the impact of the scheme on the local environment by:
- Providing earth bunding where possible to shield property from the proposed scheme and help reduce noise pollution.
- Providing low noise road surfacing to reduce traffic noise.
- Providing drainage pollution interceptors to trap spillage from the highway and prevent contamination of local aquifers and watercourses.
- Providing drainage storage ponds to prevent run-off from adding to flood risk in the River Darent catchment area.
- Containing the widening of the A2 within the existing highway boundaries, where it passes through Darenth Wood Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
Main Features
- New free flow link roads between A282 north and A2 east. Link roads carried on two new viaducts alongside Littledale viaduct and on flyover over A2 and M25.
- Junction 2 roundabout remains largely unchanged.
- Existing link between Junctions 2 and 1b re-routed further west without direct link to A282 (and Dartford crossings).
- Existing link between Junctions 1b and 2 re-routed further east passing under new north to east link with new bridge.
- Existing eastbound off-slip road from A2 moved to start west of Hawley Road passing over new road and river bridges. The slip bifurcates, with the right branch going to Junction 2 as before and the left climbing to cross over the Junction 2 to 1b link before joining the east to north link.
- New dedicated free flow lane for east to south movement.
- Fourth lane added in each direction on A2 from M25 Junction 2 to Bean Junction.
What Happens Next?
This newsletter and the exhibition sets out how the scheme has developed since 1992 to give you the opportunity tocomment before more formal proposals are published. We are planning to publish formal plans for the scheme indraft Orders under the Highways Act and an Environmental Statement in the Autumn of this year and this will be thetime to make objections and representations about the scheme. If you have any suggestions on issues to beconsidered now before the formal plans are published, please write to the Highways Agency at the Dorking officebelow or complete one of the comments sheets at the exhibition.
What About Bean Junction?
Improvements to Bean Junction are not proposed as part of this scheme.
The Highways Agency is working in partnership with local interests towards the provision of access to the A2 for the development proposed at Eastern Quarry and it is intended that arrangements resulting from this will also help solvecurrent problems at Bean Junction.
The Agency intends to enter into similar partnership arrangements in response to other Kent Thameside developments as they come forward.
The Exhibition
The exhibition of these proposals will be held at the
Wellcome Hall,
Leigh City Technology College,
Green Street Green Road,
Dartford, Kent on:
Thursday 27th June 2002,
4:00pm to 8:30pm
Friday 28th June 2002,
10:00am to 8:30pm
Saturday 29th June 2002,
10:00am to 3:30pm
Contact
For further information please contact :
Highways Agency
Federated House
London Road
Dorking
Surrey RH4 1SZ
Ahmed Faizi : 01306 878146
Annie Garrard : 01306 878150
Or you can Email us on
A2A282DartfordImprovement@highways.gsi.gov.uk
Map of Improvement
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| Map of A2/A282 Dartford Improvement |