Motorists are braced for traffic misery when work starts on the return of Operation Brock tonight.

Highways England is to shut the London-bound M20 between Junction 8 for Leeds Castle and Junction 9 for Ashford at 9pm.

It will stay shut until 6am tomorrow and marks the first in a series of closures between now and mid-November.

This year, moveable concrete blocks will be used to make the contraflow instead of the previous metal barrier that took more than a month to put in and remove.

But before the system becomes operational in December when the Brexit transition period ends, the moveable concrete blocks will need to be stored on the hard shoulder.

To safely get them in place on the hard shoulder, a separate steel barrier to protect workers will need to be temporarily installed from September to November.

The temporary steel barrier will act as a blockade to protect workers while they place the building blocks of the other barrier in a holding area.

To install the safety barrier, numerous overnight closures are planned, starting tonight from 9pm.

When the nighttime closures are lifted, the London-bound stretch will be reduced to two lanes with a 50mph limit where work is in progress.

During the works, the coastbound M20 will remain open, but a 60mph limit restriction will be in place and lane restrictions will be needed at night.

No overnight closures of the M20 are planned on Saturday nights, however Highways England has pencilled in a 'contingency period' for further works between November 12 and December 1 in case workers face delays.

When the London-bound carriageway is closed, Highways England says these clearly signed diversion routes will be in place.

"We would like to thank you in advance for your understanding"

The alternative routes are:

• Junction 9 to 8 London-bound diversion: Traffic will be diverted from Junction 9 via the A20 to rejoin the M20 at Junction 8.
• Vehicles over 4.7m high need to follow a different route, which is to turn around at Junction 9 to rejoin the M20 towards Dover, then the A20, the A2, then the M2. Drivers should then leave the M2 for the A249, to rejoin the M20 at Junction 7 and head back towards Junction 8.

In a statement, Highways England said it has planned the closures so they avoid the October half-term.

It said: "Our work includes pavement repairs, drainage repairs, road markings and stud work, crash barrier work, central reservation gate installation, CCTV system installation and the installation of the new moveable barriers at the back of the M20 London bound hard-shoulder.

"Although we’re closing the London-bound motorway at night, it will remain open during the day, operating with narrow lanes at 50mph where work is in progress.

"We would like to thank you in advance for your understanding, patience and support during these essential works."

When active, Operation Brock sees one side of the motorway used by HGVs heading to cross-Channel ports, with all other traffic restricted to a 50mph contraflow on the opposite carriageway.

This year, bosses say the barrier used to create the contraflow can be installed within hours thanks to a specialist ‘zipper’ machine.

In its statement, Highways England added: "Unlike the previous solution implemented in 2019, this new moveable barrier system allows the M20 to be returned to normal conditions at 70mph when not required within several hours instead of weeks.

"We are working hard to make this solution ready for December 2020."

For more information, call 0300 123 5000 or contact the M20 project team via email on M20MoveableBarrier@highwaysengland.co.uk

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