OPERATION Brock is set to return to the M20, bringing new permits, lane closures and speed limits within days
National Highways is urging drivers to “plan ahead” as the major motorway will face heavy disruption next week.
Operation Brock is a contraflow system – a form of traffic management that aims to keep traffic flowing through narrow lanes by allowing them to go in the opposite direction to normal.
The aim is to help manage the traffic flow of port-bound HGV’s travelling to Port of Dover or the Eurotunnel.
As school term times draw to a close, the rise in holidaymakers and visitors to the Olympic Games in Paris has caused Operation Brock to be installed just in time for summer to manage the increased traffic.
Drivers have been warned by National Highways to use the correct lane at all times and to use an M20 contraflow if they are travelling to or from Kent
Additionally, if you are travelling to Europe, you have to use the corresponding Brock Lane, even if you are going via a service station or the Inland Border Facility.
To reduce any disruption, a new permit system to prevent HGV’s ‘rat running’ through the county to get around the M20 will be introduced.
These permits would be given to Port of Dover-bound freight drivers at the front of the Operation Brock freight queue.
The permits will then be checked once the HGV has reached the end of the A20 slip road at the Courtwood Interchange, at the junction of the A20 and the B2011.
After this, the HGV may re-enter the TAP queue on the A20 and continue their journey.
The system will be in action on the coastbound carriageway between Junction 8 for Leeds Castle and Junction 9 for Ashford.
Officials hope that the permits will aid the system and reduce the need for sudden closures of the A20 Roundhill Tunnels in Folkestone.
Simon Jones, strategic lead for the Kent and Medway Resilience Forum said: “We are doing everything we can to find more effective ways to manage traffic heading through Kent to cross the channel, as we know that the impact of severe disruption on local communities and in Dover itself can really affect people’s lives and businesses.
“One thing that could help is stepping up measures to ensure that freight drivers stick to the plan, and cannot circumnavigate the queues.
“This only adds to congestion, particularly in the centre of Dover.
“However, these freight permits are not a ‘fix all’ solution.
“There is no doubt that, in busy periods, the situation on the roads heading through Dover remains extremely fragile.
“With a busy summer ahead, and the introduction of EES checks later this year, we are doing everything we can to prevent further disruption.”
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