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Sinkhole-hit Kennington Road in Ashford to finally reopen

A busy road which has been closed for six weeks after several sinkholes were found below the surface will reopen in the morning, bosses have confirmed.

Engineers from Southern Water closed the A2070 Kennington Road in Ashford near the William Harvey Hospital in September after discovering the voids while trying to fix a smaller one.

Repairs took contractors six weeks to complete. Picture: Southern Water
Repairs took contractors six weeks to complete. Picture: Southern Water
Kennington Road has now been resurfaced
Kennington Road has now been resurfaced

Work had already been ongoing for almost two months with temporary lights managing traffic, but the road had to be closed in both directions when the extent of the damage became clear.

The full closure caused chaos on the town's roads with residents reporting buses getting stuck on their way to school and drivers abandoning their cars to get to work.

At the time, a tentative timeline of about four weeks was cited for the work but it has taken six.

Workers dug five metres into the ground, across the whole width of the highway, to repair the voids.

Now the road has been resurfaced, it will reopen in both directions tomorrow morning.

Workers dug five metres into the ground to fix the voids. Picture: Southern Water
Workers dug five metres into the ground to fix the voids. Picture: Southern Water
The location of the closure in Kennington Road
The location of the closure in Kennington Road
Huge voids opened up in Kennington Road. Picture: Southern Water
Huge voids opened up in Kennington Road. Picture: Southern Water
Workers are preparing to reopen the road
Workers are preparing to reopen the road

A spokesperson for Southern Water said: “This has been a complex job that has caused disruption for residents and those travelling in and around Ashford.

"We would like to thank people for their patience and understanding during this time.”

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