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2.6 Highway Features
2.6.1 Safety Fencing and Barriers
The existing central reserve has safety fencing throughout the length of Phase 1. There is also safety fencing located in the verges in most locations which protects drivers from hazards such as high embankments, lighting columns and signs.
At Bean Road overbridge and Swanscombe Footbridge there are concrete safety barriers which prevent collision with these structures.
2.6.2 Drainage
The existing drainage for the A2 consists of gullies connected to a piped system that drains to four discharge points which are shown on Figure A6.1 in Appendix 6. Discharge points are a highway drainage pond located at Bean Junction, soakaways at Sandy Lane subway and Swanscombe slip road and an outfall into the River Ebbsfleet.
Pollution prevention measures, such as interceptors or spillage containment devices, are not installed at the discharge points.
2.6.3 Signing
The directional signing on the A2 consists mostly of map type signs located in the verge. However, the coast bound carriageway between Swanscombe Footbridge and Pepperhill Junction has three gantry mounted direction signs that were installed when this section was widened to four lanes in 1998.
2.6.4 Communications
Emergency telephones are currently provided on both carriageways of the A2 between Bean and Pepperhill at intervals of 1 - 1.5 km. These telephones allow motorists to communicate with staff in a police control office at Maidstone.
There is one existing enhanced message sign (EMS) mounted on a cantilever structure located in the verge on the London bound carriageway.
Vehicle detector loops are installed in the existing carriageways in the vicinity of Bean Junction. Data from these loops is relayed to the police control office at Maidstone. This data is used by a wide area traffic monitoring and control system covering main roads in the North Kent area.
2.6.5 Lighting
The A2 is currently lit throughout the area of the Phase 1 works by way of 400 Watt, high pressure sodium lanterns mounted on 15 metre lighting columns. These are generally located along each verge at the rear of the hard shoulder, although at Bean Junction the lighting is located in the central reserve. The spacing between lighting columns ranges from 46m to 50m. Existing lanterns are fitted with flat glass covers, but at some locations, the column bracket arms are inclined by up to 15 to direct the lamp output towards the central reservation. This can lead to some light being emitted above the horizontal, which is wasteful and a source of light pollution.
All existing lighting is controlled by photocells which switch lights on at dusk and off at dawn. The photocells also switch the lighting during the day if the level of daylight is low.
Lighting equipment currently installed in the Sandy Lane subway is in a poor condition.
