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Kent ranked in top 10 worst areas for roadworks in the UK

Kent has been listed as one of the worst places for roadworks in the UK with more than 70,000 over the past two years.

Out of 151 councils, Kent ranked fourth, with the longest project lasting 130 days in total.

Roadworks on Junction 10 of the M20 in Ashford from last year
Roadworks on Junction 10 of the M20 in Ashford from last year

Between 2019 and 2020, there were 35,994 roadworks in Kent which rose to 36,594 for 2020 and 2021 taking the total to 72,588.

Taking the top spot was Hertfordshire with a staggering 105,614 roadworks recorded since 2019.

The figures were revealed in a study by Moneybarn which based the information on Freedom of Information requests.

While narrowly avoiding the top 10, Medway ranked 14th on the list with 44,444 roadworks over the past two years.

However, the number for the unitary authority did fall over that period.

A Smart Motorway was constructed on the M20 between Junction 4 and Junction 5. Picture: Barry Goodwin
A Smart Motorway was constructed on the M20 between Junction 4 and Junction 5. Picture: Barry Goodwin

Between 2019 and 2020, there were 32,170 sets of roadworks, and between 2020 and 2021, there were 12,274, a decline of -62% making it one of the areas with the largest decreases.

Bexley also saw the number fall by 7,165, a change of -60% ranking it 10th on the list of the highest declines.

In February 2018, work started on the M20's Junction 10a in Ashford which took nearly two years to complete.

In January last year, drivers in the area faced yet another closure of the nearby A20, sending motorists on a lengthy diversion via the A2070, so engineers could install gas mains and electricity for the 192-home Hinxhill Park scheme.

In Faversham, motorists were hit with two-and-a-half months of road closures in February as one of its busiest junctions got a major overhaul.

Roadworks to create a sliproad off the Medway City Estate on the Anthonys Way roundabout
Roadworks to create a sliproad off the Medway City Estate on the Anthonys Way roundabout

Three-way traffic lights were installed at the convergence of the A251 and A2 as part of a £1.6 million scheme to improve safety.

After nearly two years, work converting a 6.5-mile stretch of the M20 between Junction 3 for the M26, and Junction 5 for Aylesford into a smart motorway were completed in May last year.

Less than three months later, contractors returned to replace a footbridge which collapsed when it was hit by a lorry in August 2016.

The handling of the repeated roadworks on the stretch were described as 'shambolic' by MP Tracey Crouch.

Read more: All the latest news from Kent

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