GRAHAM keeps ‘driving’ major motorway upgrade in Kent

GRAHAM has issued an update on a major road construction contract in Kent, two years since it was appointed to the £92 million project. 

The civil engineering specialist was handed the M2 Junction 5 improvements programme by National Highways in June 2021. 

The M2 is a 26-mile-long motorway, built to bypass part of the A2 in Kent, which goes through the Medway Towns, Sittingbourne, and Faversham. 

However, Junction 5 is believed to be one of the busiest in the region, often seeing long queues and heavy congestion. 

It also had one of the highest collision rates in England, the project team said. 

Stockbury roundabout 

To address traffic problems, GRAHAM is constructing the new Oad Street Link Road on the south side of Stockbury roundabout, which will carry traffic directly from Oad Street to the roundabout when finished. 

To do this, it first had to switch the A249 southbound traffic onto a temporary stretch of road parallel to the existing carriageway. 

Stockbury south flyover 

The firm is also constructing the new Stockbury South bridge structure over Stockbury roundabout. 

A new southern abutment for the flyover was recently constructed with 170 cubic meters of steel-reinforced concrete. 

Up to 1,500 flint-clad reinforced earth RECO panels are also being installed. 

To enable construction, GRAHAM also had to switch northbound traffic on the A249 to the southbound carriageway. 

Once complete, the flyover should ease traffic flows and reduce delays, it said. 

Stockbury north flyover and Maidstone Link Road 

In June, GRAHAM opened a new carriageway connecting Maidstone Road to Oad Street – the Maidstone Link Road. 

It is also constructing a southbound slip road to the M2 (westbound) using continuously reinforced concrete paving (CRCP), followed by surfacing. 

This work enables construction of the new northern Stockbury flyover. 

After that comes the installation of 900mm diameter CFA (Continuous flight auger) piles. 

“Once complete, the scheme will lead to smoother and safer journeys for hundreds of thousands of drivers each day,” the project team said. 

For more information about the scheme, click here. 

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