A2 Dover Access (RIS3)

[Telstarbox]

This is part of the Kent Local Transport Plan 4- https://www.kent.gov.uk/about-the-counc ... sport-plan

It is vital to the UK economy that the Channel Corridor operates efficiently at all times and is resilient to incidents on the network. Port traffic is currently routed along the M20/A20, which results in severance between Dover town centre and the harbour.
With the construction of a new Lower Thames Crossing, a second strategic route will be available between Dover and the Midlands and North. The project to revive the Dover Western Docks plus expansion of the existing Port would naturally split traffic so that for the Western Docks and Channel Tunnel would use the M20/A20, and traffic for the Eastern Docks would be encouraged to use the M2/A2. Bifurcation will also facilitate growth of Whitfield, Folkestone, Ashford and Maidstone by releasing capacity on the M20.
To deliver bifurcation, the following upgrades are required:
• M2 Junction 7 (Brenley Corner) improvements to improve capacity and provide free-flow between the M2 and A2.
• Dualling sections of single carriageway on the A2 north of Dover along Jubilee Way to Whitfield and near Lydden.
• M20 Junction 7 improvements to provide ease of access between the A249 and M20.
• M2 Junction 5 Stockbury improvements to provide free-flow between the M2 and A249.
• Increased capacity on M2 Junction 4 – 7.

[KeithW]

Ever since I first travelled the then new Dover bypass in 1977 as a nipper I thought “this looks like a scheme that was conceived as a (possibly at grade) dual carriageway but someone has scaled it back and singled bits of it to save money”.

I can't say I am surprised, when I was living in Kent in the late 1970's/early 1980's a lot of road improvements were cancelled or cut back to save cash, the Hamstreet Bypass was one of them as the B2070 as was seriously constrained by this bridge which was on the direct route from Ashford to Brenzett and Dungeness.
https://www.google.com/maps/@51.0675743 ... authuser=0

The only other way to Dungeness for heavy loads was to take the M20 all the way to Folkestone then take the A259 through Hythe, Dymchurch and New Romney.

That said in 1977 the A2 to Dover still went through Canterbury and round the Ring Road. I think it was 1981 before that opened.

The other promised big plan was the A259 bypass for Winchelsea which was supposed to bypass Tanyard Lane and head along the Brede Valley next to the railway but that was rightly cancelled on environmental grounds.
https://www.bredevalley.info/protection/index.php

[Ritchie333]

The other promised big plan was the A259 bypass for Winchelsea which was supposed to bypass Tanyard Lane and head along the Brede Valley next to the railway but that was rightly cancelled on environmental grounds.
https://www.bredevalley.info/protection/index.php

I don't know about "rightly" cancelled. As I've said many times before, the A259 trunk road from Brenzett to Pevensey is appalling, with HGVs expected to use a hairpin bend. Still, it did mean the awful state of the roads meant the Marshlink line didn't get canned by Beeching, as expected.

[KeithW]

This is part of the Kent Local Transport Plan 4- https://www.kent.gov.uk/about-the-counc ... sport-plan

It is vital to the UK economy that the Channel Corridor operates efficiently at all times and is resilient to incidents on the network. Port traffic is currently routed along the M20/A20, which results in severance between Dover town centre and the harbour.
With the construction of a new Lower Thames Crossing, a second strategic route will be available between Dover and the Midlands and North. The project to revive the Dover Western Docks plus expansion of the existing Port would naturally split traffic so that for the Western Docks and Channel Tunnel would use the M20/A20, and traffic for the Eastern Docks would be encouraged to use the M2/A2. Bifurcation will also facilitate growth of Whitfield, Folkestone, Ashford and Maidstone by releasing capacity on the M20.
To deliver bifurcation, the following upgrades are required:
• M2 Junction 7 (Brenley Corner) improvements to improve capacity and provide free-flow between the M2 and A2.
• Dualling sections of single carriageway on the A2 north of Dover along Jubilee Way to Whitfield and near Lydden.
• M20 Junction 7 improvements to provide ease of access between the A249 and M20.
• M2 Junction 5 Stockbury improvements to provide free-flow between the M2 and A249.
• Increased capacity on M2 Junction 4 – 7.

Its a bit hand wavy on details and having been published in 2010 is seriously out of date, see Lower Thames Crossing . Its also FAR too late to revive the Western Docks at Dover which are now home to a Cruise Terminal, Cargo terminal and Marina.

https://www.google.com/maps/@51.1158767 ... authuser=0

[KeithW]

The other promised big plan was the A259 bypass for Winchelsea which was supposed to bypass Tanyard Lane and head along the Brede Valley next to the railway but that was rightly cancelled on environmental grounds.
https://www.bredevalley.info/protection/index.php

I don't know about "rightly" cancelled. As I've said many times before, the A259 trunk road from Brenzett to Pevensey is appalling, with HGVs expected to use a hairpin bend. Still, it did mean the awful state of the roads meant the Marshlink line didn't get canned by Beeching, as expected.

I agree that Tanyard Hill is appalling but its still a trunk road ! In reality there was an alternative line farther south that would not have ploughed through the myriad of protected sites in the Brede River Valley but Highways England just threw their toys out of the pram. That said the coastal route from Dover to Brighton is a bad joke, its far quicker to go M20,M25 and A23.

Of you ever try it you soon realise your error here when you hit the Hythe one way system.
https://www.google.com/maps/@51.070954, ... authuser=0

Yes folks this is a strategic road !

[Brenley Corner]

The other promised big plan was the A259 bypass for Winchelsea which was supposed to bypass Tanyard Lane and head along the Brede Valley next to the railway but that was rightly cancelled on environmental grounds.
https://www.bredevalley.info/protection/index.php

I don't know about "rightly" cancelled. As I've said many times before, the A259 trunk road from Brenzett to Pevensey is appalling, with HGVs expected to use a hairpin bend. Still, it did mean the awful state of the roads meant the Marshlink line didn't get canned by Beeching, as expected.

I agree that Tanyard Hill is appalling but its still a trunk road ! In reality there was an alternative line farther south that would not have ploughed through the myriad of protected sites in the Brede River Valley but Highways England just threw their toys out of the pram. That said the coastal route from Dover to Brighton is a bad joke, its far quicker to go M20,M25 and A23.

Of you ever try it you soon realise your error here when you hit the Hythe one way system.
https://www.google.com/maps/@51.070954, ... authuser=0

Yes folks this is a strategic road !

At the moment I am making semi-regular trips between Canterbury and Eastbourne - a distance of 60 miles or thereabouts.

The route that the Sat Navs mostly pick and is now my adopted route is A28 to just before Ashford, A2070 around Ashford and down to Brenzett, A259 to Rye, B2089 back across to A28, A28 to A21, across A21 via The Ridge West to A2690 Queensway, A2690 Combe Valley Way to A259 and then along A259 and A27 as far as A22 Golden Jubilee Way into Eastbourne.

This is the most reliable route I have found, but still is 1h 45/50 during the day, and 1h 30/35 later in the evening. I shouldn't have to be doing such a convoluted route and its needs to be noticed that to do 60 miles along most trunk roads would be closer to 60 to 75 minutes.

I remember seeing route maps for the A259 improvements in the 90's - bypasses for Rye, Winchelsea, Hastings and Bexhill, plus a new route across the marshes between Rye and Brenzett. In the end all that got built was the A2070 route between Ashford and Brenzett and now is a reminder of "what could have been" along this route

[Fluid Dynamics]

I don't know about "rightly" cancelled. As I've said many times before, the A259 trunk road from Brenzett to Pevensey is appalling, with HGVs expected to use a hairpin bend. Still, it did mean the awful state of the roads meant the Marshlink line didn't get canned by Beeching, as expected.

I agree that Tanyard Hill is appalling but its still a trunk road ! In reality there was an alternative line farther south that would not have ploughed through the myriad of protected sites in the Brede River Valley but Highways England just threw their toys out of the pram. That said the coastal route from Dover to Brighton is a bad joke, its far quicker to go M20,M25 and A23.

Of you ever try it you soon realise your error here when you hit the Hythe one way system.
https://www.google.com/maps/@51.070954, ... authuser=0

Yes folks this is a strategic road !

At the moment I am making semi-regular trips between Canterbury and Eastbourne - a distance of 60 miles or thereabouts.

The route that the Sat Navs mostly pick and is now my adopted route is A28 to just before Ashford, A2070 around Ashford and down to Brenzett, A259 to Rye, B2089 back across to A28, A28 to A21, across A21 via The Ridge West to A2690 Queensway, A2690 Combe Valley Way to A259 and then along A259 and A27 as far as A22 Golden Jubilee Way into Eastbourne.

This is the most reliable route I have found, but still is 1h 45/50 during the day, and 1h 30/35 later in the evening. I shouldn't have to be doing such a convoluted route and its needs to be noticed that to do 60 miles along most trunk roads would be closer to 60 to 75 minutes.

I remember seeing route maps for the A259 improvements in the 90's - bypasses for Rye, Winchelsea, Hastings and Bexhill, plus a new route across the marshes between Rye and Brenzett. In the end all that got built was the A2070 route between Ashford and Brenzett and now is a reminder of "what could have been" along this route

That's unfair, you're ignoring the Brooklands Improvement, a scheme that barely bypassed the village and gives up before it reaches the level crossing of the line to Dungeness It kind of sums up the ambition for the whole route.

[WHBM]

... and in any case Labour have a 15-20 point lead and are likely to cancel everything. So this scheme won't be happening any time soon.

In passing, why does that always seem to happen with change of governing party. It's not a single party view, as they all seem to do it ...

Well, the consultants had better get in quick then and maximise their billable hours before the election. To a consultancy, the ideal scheme is one where the whole project budgeted sum is spent on redesigning it all three times as it comes and goes in the overall programme, without a single cube of concrete being laid ...

[AnOrdinarySABREUser]

I remember seeing route maps for the A259 improvements in the 90's - bypasses for Rye, Winchelsea, Hastings and Bexhill, plus a new route across the marshes between Rye and Brenzett. In the end all that got built was the A2070 route between Ashford and Brenzett and now is a reminder of "what could have been" along this route

Off topic, but I wonder if there were any plans made to bypass the A28 between Ashford and Margate, at least those that were put on the table or considered to some degree. I sincerely doubt it, but considering the amount of congestion that the A28 experiences by Canterbury. However, that being said, new bypasses to the west (https://www.kentonline.co.uk/canterbury ... ll-251781/ and east (https://unified.org.uk/2018/04/canterbu ... een-light/) of Canterbury are being proposed as part of the new zoning scheme (https://chamberuk.com/canterbury-counci ... riticised/) they're putting in, which will ban motorists from travelling from one side of the city to another, forcing more traffic onto the bypass roads and A2, and encouraging even more suburban development along the bypass roads. This is as useless as the new ring road built around York a few years ago - but I digress! It is also worth mentioning that KCC are aiming to build a road named the Sturry link road which will provide a nice & urban bypass of Sturry, however, looking at the general arrangements for the A28 here, I can't say that I don't expect even more houses to be put up along it...

[jackal]

... and in any case Labour have a 15-20 point lead and are likely to cancel everything. So this scheme won't be happening any time soon.

In passing, why does that always seem to happen with change of governing party. It's not a single party view, as they all seem to do it ...

It's probably just electoral strategy, unfortunately - look 'responsible' with the public finances while undermining the previous government's legacy.

[AnOrdinarySABREUser]

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned yet but here's a report on the scheme from May 2023.

I'm sure that most of us know about the April 2015 document but I'm uncertain about the new one.

It seems like the A2 Dover access scheme is going into the RIS4 pipeline alongside the M2 J7 improvement scheme. Someone ought to rename this topic to (RIS4).

The A2 will be dualled between Lydden and Whitfield at the very least. Improvements to the roundabouts seem very likely. Dualling Jubilee Way seems to be beyond the scope of the scheme, although the section between Whitfield and the A258 may be dualled too.

[Gareth Thomas]

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned yet but here's a report on the scheme from May 2023.

I'm sure that most of us know about the April 2015 document but I'm uncertain about the new one.

It seems like the A2 Dover access scheme is going into the RIS4 pipeline alongside the M2 J7 improvement scheme. Someone ought to rename this topic to (RIS4).

The A2 will be dualled between Lydden and Whitfield at the very least. Improvements to the roundabouts seem very likely. Dualling Jubilee Way seems to be beyond the scope of the scheme, although the section between Whitfield and the A258 may be dualled too.

I think the dual carriageway only needs to go as far as the A258 anyway. Keep that last stretch as S2+1, with the one lane going down to the docks - it's a steep stretch of road, and only having one lane stops idiots from overtaking the lorries and then having to merge back in before the bridge over the docks, which would have to be completely rebuilt if dualled.