A20 Hythe Road near Ashford partially closing for five weeks
15:27, 30 October 2019
updated: 16:04, 30 October 2019
Motorists along a key road will face a large diversion for more than a month.
Part of the A20 Hythe Road near Ashford will have one lane closed for five weeks from Saturday, November 2 as part of the M20 Junction 10A project.
The section will stretch about 250 metres, from the new J10A roundabout to the access road for the Pilgrims Hospice site.
Only the London bound lane will be shut, with coastbound travellers still able to use the stretch of road.
A large diversion route has been prepared, which will see people travelling from places such as Smeeth, Sellindge and Brabourne having to join the chaotic A2070 Bad Munstereifel Road.
Official guidance from Kent County Council Highways reads: "The alternative route for westbound traffic is by using the newly constructed Junction 10A Gyratory to the new A2070 Link Road to the new roundabout on A2070 Bad Munstereifel Way, then back north along A2070 Bad Munstereifel Way to the existing Willesborough Interchange then re-join A20 Hythe Road."
The Kent road authority also stated that the restrictions will remain in place outside the working hours.
A Highways England spokesman confirmed the action, saying: "The westbound closure is to allow us to complete the tie in works where the temporary diversion of the A20 meets the permanent one."
Already residents have raised concern over the closure on social media, focussing particularly on having to use the busy A2070 and on the increase in time to get to the William Harvey Hospital, to which the A20 Hythe Road is a key access road.
The A20 works rely on Junction 10A, which is being opened to traffic for the first time tomorrow.
The work was accelerated to be accessible ahead of the then-Brexit deadline of October 31, and despite the change in date its coast-facing slip roads will be usable tomorrow.
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