Work to rebuild a main road – in what is one of the county’s biggest engineering projects – has reached its halfway point.

The Broadway, Minster, is being completely reconstructed at a cost of £500,000.

Kent County Council resurfacing manager Alan Casson
explained that in terms of expense, planning and materials involved it is the second biggest job this year, after the £1.2 million restructuring in Willington Street, Maidstone, this summer.

Planning began about a year ago following a routine mechanical survey which covers the entire network every two years.

Using a special camera – similar to the geophysics device used by archaeologists in the TV programme Time Team – cracking, undulations and layer changes were discovered beneath the road.

A drill was then used to take core samples to get a clearer picture of the materials underground. It was found that the road between Wards Hill Road and Minster Road was built on a layer of concrete, believed to date back to the 1930s.

In quite a few places it had lost its strength and was cracking up, leading to the potholes and areas of subsidence which the road had become well known for.

Areas where the lower level is still in a good condition have been retained where possible. Contractor Eurovia is reinforcing the new surface with a material called geotextile which goes in between the layers and stops them from shifting too much.

Due to its hexagonal pattern, the thin plastic mesh adds the same level of strength to the road as 300mm of aggregate.

The final layer of 35mm of tarmac will be laid in one go to minimise disruption. The other recently completed section of The Broadway, from Wards Hill Road to The White House, is thought to be a newer construction and not concrete underneath, so all that was required was a new top layer.

Mr Casson says the works are on schedule and he is confident they will finish on schedule by the end of November.