Operation Brock to return to M20 ahead of bank holiday weekend

The controversial Operation Brock contraflow will return to the M20 this weekend.

A 50mph limit and narrow lanes will be reinstated between Junction 8 for Maidstone and Junction 9 for Ashford ahead of the spring bank holiday.

The Kent Resilience Forum (KRF) says the contraflow system is being deployed as high passenger numbers are expected to be heading through Kent to Europe.

Brock will be back from 6am on Sunday (May 21) following work to install it overnight on Thursday and Saturday.

The traffic management system acts as a pressure valve to minimise the impact of congestion further down the motorway due to HGVs whilst allowing traffic to continue in both directions through the contraflow system.

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The decision by the KRF, made up of a group of organisations and agencies including Kent County Council (KCC) and Kent Police in conjunction with National Highways, has been driven by significantly increased cross channel bookings for tourist traffic over the Whitsun Bank Holiday weekend.

The ongoing closures of the Roundhill Tunnel on the A20 at Folkestone has also impacted the decision to bring back Brock.

KRF bosses say if Brock is not active, and there are delays at the Port of Dover, this has a knock-on effect on the surrounding roads and can also impact traffic flow into the Eurotunnel terminal.

KRF strategic lead, Simon Jones, says the passenger forecasts from both Eurotunnel and the Port of Dover indicate an extremely busy period for cross channel traffic over the Bank Holiday weekend at the end of May.

“This also coincides with schools in the UK breaking up for half term, and we know that many families will be heading across the channel to enjoy holidays in Europe,” he said.

“The KRF decision to install Brock to deal with any delays has not been taken lightly. It is informed by data from the cross-Channel providers and the Department for Transport, and the contraflow will help to minimise any disruption if any delays occur.

“Our aim is always to do everything we can to get people to where they want to be as safely and as quickly as possible.

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“Until more permanent solutions are found to tackle disruption on Kent roads and access to the Port of Dover, Operation Brock is the only tool we have to keep traffic moving through the county.”

The Operation Brock contraflow is expected to remain in place until the weekend of June 3-4.