Otford Interchange

Otford Interchange is a never built junction on the M26 designed to give access to Sevenoaks from its bypass motorway.

An interchange at this site has been proposed many times, to better serve Sevenoaks from the east. It came about following the demise of the London Ringways which changed the planned layout for Chevening Interchange from a 3-level stacked roundabout to a limited access freeflow. Even before construction of the M26 began there were calls for east facing slips at Chevening to avoid traffic having to use several miles of the A25. The ministry was firmly against providing the missing links as it claimed the level of traffic didn't justify their cost and any traffic using them would be local in nature which is not what motorways were designed for. Despite this the ministry did look into plans for an additional junction and in 1976 the area around Otford Road was chosen for further investigation. Two sites for a junction were shortlisted: at Otford Road itself and a little to the west where Rye Lane would be a replaced by a new road running to the east. The ministry reached the conclusion that at best a junction with east facing only links to the M26 could be provided but in the end no junction was ever built. The A225 was dualled as part of the M26 scheme which suggests there was an intention to add the junction at a later date.

Alternative designs for Otford Road

Rye Lane junction

Routes

Route	To	Notes
M26	The WEST, Gatwick Airport (M25)
M26	Channel Tunnel, Maidstone (M20)
A225	Otford, Shoreham, Eynsford
A225	Sevenoaks