A vital upgrade to improve journeys for hundreds of thousands of drivers on one of the busiest junctions of the M2 at junction 5 has been given the formal 'go-ahead' by Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps.
The £92 million major improvements at junction 5 on the M2, the interchange with the A249 at Stocksbury in Kent, will lead to smoother and safer journeys for hundreds of thousands of drivers every day.
The junction is one of the busiest in the region and experiences large queues and heavy congestion on a daily basis. It also has one of the highest collision rates across England's motorway and major A roads nationally; this project will reduce collisions by around a third.
Chris Welby-Everard, Highways England's regional delivery director in the South East, said:
Improving the Stockbury Interchange will bring real benefits to the drivers who use this junction daily, and it will improve the flow of traffic to provide a safer and more integrated network for everyone.
I'd like to thank everyone for their engagement and contribution to the development of this scheme to date. We will now progress to the next phase, ready for work to begin in September 2021.
The existing roundabout will be replaced with a new interchange, which is a flyover, to provide free-flowing movement on the A249.
Two new dedicated free-flowing slip roads would be created with a left turn for traffic travelling from the A249 southbound to the M2 westbound and a left turn from the A249 northbound to the M2 eastbound.
Maidstone Road to the A249 Stockbury Roundabout would be closed, and Maidstone Road would be re-routed to link with Oad Street. The existing junction of Oad Street with the A249 would be closed with a new link provided south of the existing Oad Street to connect with the A249 Stockbury Roundabout.
The main construction work is expected to start in September 2021, with preparation works taking place off network beforehand.
