Page 49 - KPRM 2019

Thanet Parkway
Kent County Council is seeking to deliver Thanet Parkway, a new railway station near Cliffsend. The aim is to significantly improve rail access to London for local communities and developments at Discovery Park and Manston business parks and should see journey times to London (Stratford International) of around an hour and London St Pancras at around 70 minutes.
Lower Thames Crossing
The Lower Thames Crossing is anticipated to be the largest road project since construction of the M25. Providing additional capacity between Essex and Kent it will not only assist in easing congestion at the existing Dartford Crossing but will also create a new strategic route from the Channel Ports to the Midlands and the North.
Highways England continue to develop their proposals
for a bored tunnel under the River Thames east of Tilbury and Gravesend, to connect the A2 with the A13 and M25 at Junction 29. A ten week statutory public consultation was held in the autumn of 2018 and received a record-breaking 28,493 responses. This feedback is in the process of being considered and the County Council continue to work closely alongside Highways England to ensure the best possible outcome for Kent’s residents, businesses and visitors. The submission of a Development Consent Order application has been postponed until Summer 2020 to enable revisions to the design following consultation feedback, although the planned opening year remains as 2027.
Operation Brock / Operation Stack
Operation Brock was introduced as a measure to queue freight vehicles on approach to Channel ports as a result of potential border and customs checks if the UK were to leave the EU without a deal. It consists of a contraflow on the M20 between junctions 8-9 London-bound enabling 2-way flows while the coastbound carriageway is used to queue port-bound freight vehicles. Brock is part of a multi-agency plan that also includes the Dover Traffic Access Protocol on the A20, the use of the runway at Manston Airport and also the M26 in a worst-case scenario for queuing additional vehicles if required.
Overnight Lorry Parking
Kent County Council has been working with the private sector to promote the idea of a network of overnight lorry
Proposal for the new Thanet Parkway rail station near Cliffsend.
parks across the county. Ashford International Truckstop has expanded and relocated its overnight lorry park now with capacity to for 600 HGVs. The county council is also working with the Department for Transport, district councils and Kent Police on stronger enforcement action against illegal lorry parking to address problems of inappropriate lorry parking across Kent.
Local Transport Plan
Local Transport Plan 4: Delivering Growth Without Gridlock 2016 – 2031 was adopted by Kent County Council in July 2017. This plan aims to deliver transport priorities for Kent which will contribute to a safe and efficient transport system.
Transport for the South East (TfSE)
There is a newly emerging Sub-national Transport Body (STB) named Transport for the South East (TfSE). It consists of Kent, Medway, East Sussex, West Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire, Brighton & Hove, Southampton, Portsmouth, Isle of Wight, the Berkshire authorities plus the five Local Enterprise Partnerships within this area. Its development has progressed with a consultation on a draft proposal to government for TfSE to become a statutory body and later
in 2019 will consult on a draft transport strategy for the South East. TfSE is already making the case to government for investment in rail and the Strategic Road Network by submitting priorities for the next Road Investment Strategy (RIS). In Kent, RIS priorities include the new Lower Thames Crossing and its required wider network improvements. Examples include: improving the connection at M2 Junction 3 with the M20 at Junction 6 via the A229 (Bluebell Hill), improvements to the M2/A2 corridor with an upgrade of Junction 7 (Brenley Corner) and completion of the dualling of the A2 from Lydden to Dover. Government is expected
to announced its priorities for the next RIS in late 2019.
TfSE have also been asked by the Department for Transport to submit priorities for the Major Road Network (MRN),
a new category of road announced by government in December 2018 for the most important A roads. In Kent, schemes that are in the ‘Top 10’ list for funding in the
South East MRN include: improvements to the A249 at
M2 Junction 5 (Stockbury) to ensure this Highways England RIS scheme, essential to the Swale Local Plan, is delivered. Also a new relief road for the A28 around Birchington, Westgate and Acol which will enable growth in the Thanet Local Plan.
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PHOTO: KENT COUNTY COUNCIL