Dear stakeholder
M20 Moveable Barrier: project update
I am writing to update you on some upcoming overnight closures, and a change to our traffic management layout.
We’re currently working on the London-bound verge. To protect our workforce and the travelling public, we have two separate sections where the hard shoulder and the inside lane of the London-bound carriageway are closed alongside where we’re working, using the moveable barrier as our safety barrier as we’ve been doing throughout. A 50-mph speed restriction is also in place.
The first section, close to junction 9, is one mile long. This is where we’re working to address ground and surface water issues to make sure the ground is safe and stable so that the permanent works can last. This piece of work is due to finish in early June 2023.
The second closure, close to junction 8, is currently around 8.5 miles long, with only the hard shoulder and lane one being closed. From now until mid-June, we’ll be continuing with our London-bound verge work, however, we also need to carry out some work within the central reservation. This means we’ll need to change the current traffic management layout.
How this will look
When driving along the London-bound carriageway towards junction 8, drivers will first encounter the hard shoulder and inside lane being closed, as it currently is, with traffic travelling within the outside two running lanes. This layout will last for approximately 4 miles, after which there will be a chicane within the roadworks to move traffic to run along the hard shoulder and the inside lane, as we’ll need to close the outside two lanes for our central reservation work. This layout will last for approximately 3 miles.
For the 3 miles where we’re working within the central reservation, we will need to close the outside lane on the coastbound carriageway to act as a safety ‘buffer zone’ for our workforce and the travelling public.
To carry out this traffic management switch safely, the following overnight closures will be required.
Overnight London-bound closures
The M20 London-bound will be closed overnight between junctions 9 and 7 from:
- 9pm on Tuesday 9 May until 6am on Friday 12 May 2023
- 9pm on Saturday 13 May until 6am on Monday 15 May 2023
Diversion route: A clearly signed diversion route will be in place taking traffic along the coastbound M20, the coastbound A20 towards Dover, then along the A2, London-bound M2 and crossing back to the M20 at J7 via the A249.
Overnight coastbound closures
The M20 coastbound will be closed between junctions 7 and 9 from:
- 9pm on Monday 15 May until 6am on Tuesday 16 May 2023
Diversion route: A clearly signed diversion route will be in place taking traffic coastbound along the A249, M2, A2, A20, then back onto the M20.
We’re very sorry about any inconvenience or delay that may be caused by these closures.
As ever, our dates are subject to change. You can check the National Highways closure report which is updated daily with the latest information: https://nationalhighways.co.uk/travel-updates/daily-closure-report/.
You can also find all the latest information on our Twitter feed, Facebook page, and the traffic information pages of our website at https://nationalhighways.co.uk/travel-updates/.
I apologise for any disruption this may cause you and would like to thank you for your cooperation whilst we carry out this work.
Yours faithfully,
Gary Jeans
Project Manager
National Highways | Bridge House | 1 Walnut Tree Close | Guildford | GU1 4LZ
