Home   Kent   News   Article

Dover TAP on A20 at Aycliffe and M20 delays for the Eurotunnel and Port of Dover due to Christmas, coronavirus vaccine and Brexit stockpiling

There are large queues on Kent's roads once again as lorries line up for a fourth day of delays.

Temporary signals are in place due to the bulk of transport traffic seen heading to the Eurotunnel at Folkestone and the Port of Dover.

Dover TAP is in place once again. Picture: Highways England
Dover TAP is in place once again. Picture: Highways England

Dover TAP, short for Traffic Assessment Project, has been implemented on the coastbound A20 at Aycliffe due to the high volumes of freight.

It was put in place for the fourth time in two weeks on Tuesday, and has been activated each day since, including today.

Kent County Council, which made the announcement from its highways control desk shortly before 7am, says this is to prevent port-bound traffic from affecting the local road network and the A20 through Dover town.

It means a 40mph speed restriction will apply to all vehicles approaching Dover from the west via the A20.

The larger volumes than usual have been attributed to the pre-Christmas rush, stockpiling and coronavirus vaccine delivery.

Lorries queue on the M20 near junction 11 yesterday whilst they await being able to board at the Eurotunnel terminal. Picture: Barry Goodwin.
Lorries queue on the M20 near junction 11 yesterday whilst they await being able to board at the Eurotunnel terminal. Picture: Barry Goodwin.

When traffic reaches high volumes vehicles will be held at temporary traffic lights until space becomes available.

Lorry drivers heading coastbound should remain in the left lane of the A20, from the Roundhill Tunnel all the way to the Port.

According to the Port around 9500 vehicles are travelling through each day.

Motorists are being asked to plan ahead and allow extra time for journeys.

Dover TAP is the first of five stages comprising Operation Brock, designed to maintain traffic flow in the county during busy freight periods.

In the full Operation Brock, Dover TAP will be succeeded by the M20 J8-9 contraflow system - in which lorries would use the eastbound carriageway as a holding station.

Lorries queue at the Port of Dover. Picture: Barry Goodwin
Lorries queue at the Port of Dover. Picture: Barry Goodwin

From four days from later today the M20 will shut to allow for Operation Brock preparation works.

Avoid getting stuck on Kent's roads by keeping up-to-date on all of the latest traffic and travel news here or by following our live blog.

Read more: All the latest news from Kent

Close This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.Learn More