There will be an overnight closure between Maidstone and Ashford while the contraflow is reinstalled
The exact dates that Operation Brock will return to the M20 in the run up to Christmas have now been announced.
With an increased volume of traffic expected to head through Kent to Europe during the holidays, the Kent and Medway Resilience Forum (KMRF) has confirmed plans to reinstate the divisive contraflow system between Junction 8, near Leeds Castle, and Junction 9, for Ashford.
An overnight closure along a busy stretch of the M20 will take place on Monday, December 15 for the traffic management system to be installed.
This closure will be in effect on the London-bound carriageway between J9 and J8, while the coastbound carriageway will shut from J7, for Maidstone, to J9.
Once this closure has been lifted on Tuesday morning, Operation Brock will be in effect for an entire week. KMRF has already confirmed plans to step down the contraflow on the night of Monday, December 22, with the affected stretch of the motorway re-opening as normal on Tuesday, December 23.
Operation Brock has been installed over a number of busy travel periods this year, including during the Easter half-term and the Spring Bank Holiday Weekend at the end of May, as well as a portion of the school summer holiday. When the barriers for the traffic management system are in place, all HGVs heading for the Port of Dover or the Eurotunnel must follow the signs to join Operation Brock at J8 of the M20.
All other coast-bound traffic including local freight and vehicles heading to the continent will be moved into the contraflow on the London-bound carriageway. During the closures of the M20 on the nights of Monday, December 15 and Monday, December 22, signed diversions will be in place for drivers to follow.
For London-bound journeys, this will be via the A20, A2, M2 and A229 to re-join the M20 at J6. Coast-bound journeys are to be diverted via the A249, M2, A2 and A20.
Drivers have been urged to follow the diversion signs over their SatNav instructions. KMRF Strategic Lead for border disruption, Simon Jones, said: “We do understand the decision to use Brock at busy times is not always popular, and we don’t take the decision lightly, but the predicted number of crossings over the festive period fully support its deployment.
“We will endeavour to only keep the Brock barrier on the M20 for the minimum amount of time absolutely necessary and we will continue to use the permit scheme for hauliers going through Brock.
“This means we can deny lorries access who have cut the queue, helping to improve Brock compliance while keeping key roads moving for local communities, and hopefully making sure everyone can safely get to where they need to be.”
While Operation Brock is in effect, in the instance that traffic does start to build, KMRF advises drivers to check their full route before setting off, allow extra time for the journey and pack the car with essentials. This includes packing food, water, medication, and anything else you or your passengers may need if caught in queues.
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