A20 | |
---|---|
Route information | |
Length | 74.4 mi [1] (119.7 km) |
Major junctions | |
West end | A2 in New Cross, London 51°28′23″N0°01′59″W / 51.473°N 0.033°W ) |
A205 in London M25 / M20 in Swanley ContentsM20 in Folkestone | |
East end | A2 in Dover ( 51°07′34″N1°19′37″E / 51.126°N 1.327°E ) |
Location | |
Country | United Kingdom |
Constituent country | England |
Counties | Greater London, Kent |
Primary destinations | Swanley Maidstone Ashford Folkestone |
Road network | |
The A20 is a major road in south-east England, carrying traffic from London to Dover in Kent. Parts of the route date back to turnpikes established in the early part of the 18th century. The line of the road throughout Kent runs closely in parallel with the M20 motorway.
Traffic leaving London at first takes the A2 road; at New Cross in the London Borough of Lewisham the A20 begins and heads in a south-easterly direction, becoming in turn Lewisham Way and Loampit Vale. The latter road forms a large junction, where the A21 separates for Bromley. The road now runs through Lee High Road into Eltham Road, The junction with the A210 has an unusually long 41 metre yellow box junction. [2] and continues as the Sidcup Bypass, crossing the A222 at Frognal Corner and the A224 at Crittall's Corner. Entering Kent, it widens from two lanes to three lanes near Swanley and continues onto the M20 motorway.
The main junctions on the London to M25 section are:
The A20 then passes the racing circuit at Brands Hatch before descending steeply from the North Downs escarpment past Wrotham then West Malling and on to the county town of Maidstone. The route beyond Maidstone travels East, through the villages of Bearsted, Harrietsham, Lenham and Charing to Ashford.
The A292 takes over the former A20 through Ashford itself, then the road emerges as it heads through Willesborough and Sellindge in the direction of Hythe. It takes a sharp turn left at Newingreen (the site of the UK's first motel) before entering Folkestone via Cheriton, passing the vehicular entrance to the Channel Tunnel, forming part of the town's original bypass as the trunk road from the M20. The route then follows the coastline, tunnelling through the hills and descending to the docks in Dover, where it meets the A2 again coming down from Canterbury.
Part of the route now followed by the modern road, particularly the western section, was opened as various turnpikes in the 18th century in an effort to improve coaching links between London and the Kent towns. [3]
In the early days of the Great Britain road numbering scheme the A20 ran through Eltham, London. 0.7 miles (1.1 km) along Eltham Road the Sidcup Arterial Road begins, opened in 1923, which carries traffic south of the two towns instead, leaving the A210 and A211 roads following the original route. The nearby town of Swanley was bypassed in 1968, and the short link between the two bypasses was constructed in 1988 (to the south of the Ruxley Corner roundabout). [4]
A section of the A20 in Ashford formed part of the Ashford By-Pass, a dual carriageway opened in 1957, [5] which used to run from what is now the roundabout with Simone Weil Avenue to the Willesborough roundabout. Simone Weil Avenue is the original A20 bypass, but has been diverted to curtail at Canterbury Road. The eastern end of the old by-pass is now the M20.
The section between Maidstone and Ashford was the only link between the two separate sections of the M20 for 10 years during the 1980s, until the 14-mile (23 km)missing link of the motorway was completed in May 1991. [6]
North of Folkestone the M20 becomes a dual carriageway and enters the Roundhill Tunnel before crossing over and dropping down into Dover. This part of the A20 was completed in 1993 as a project included in the Parliamentary Bill for the Channel Tunnel. [6] During 2011, structural failures in and around the Roundhill Tunnel have caused the A20 to be closed in this area numerous times. [7]
County | Location | mi [1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Greater London | Lewisham | 0.0 | 0.0 | A2 to A202 – Central London, Dover, Peckham | Western terminus |
1.1– 1.2 | 1.8– 1.9 | A2210 north (Jerrard Street) – Deptford | Southern terminus of A2210 | ||
1.3 | 2.1 | A21 south-east – Bromley, Catford | North-western terminus of A21 | ||
1.4 | 2.3 | A2211 north – Greenwich | Southern terminus of A2211 | ||
London Borough of Lewisham–Greenwich boundary | 2.6 | 4.2 | A2212 south (Burnt Ash Road) / B212 (Lee High Road) – Grove Park, Blackheath | B212 and Blackheath signed westbound only; northern terminus of A2212 | |
Greenwich | 3.2 | 5.1 | A210 east (Eltham Road) / A2213 north (Kidbrooke Park Road) to A205 north / A102 – Eltham, Kidbrooke, Docklands, Woolwich | To A205, A102, Docklands, and Woolwich signed eastbound only; western terminus of A210; southern terminus of A2213 | |
3.5 | 5.6 | A205 (South Circular) / A21 / A23 / A102 / A2 | To A102, A2, and Docklands signed westbound only | ||
4.8 | 7.7 | A208 (Court Road) – Mottingham, Eltham | |||
Bexley–Bromley boundary | 7.2– 7.7 | 11.6– 12.4 | A222 – Bromley, Chislehurst, Sidcup | Grade–separated junction | |
7.9– 8.5 | 12.7– 13.7 | A224 / A223 north-east to B2173 – Orpington, Foots Cray, Bexley, Swanley | To B2173 and Swanley signed eastbound only; grade-separated junction; south-western terminus of A223 | ||
Kent | Swanley–Farningham boundary | 12.0– 12.6 | 19.3– 20.3 | M25 / M20 east / B2173 – Gatwick Airport, Maidstone | Dover signed eastbound only; western terminus of M20; M25 junction 3; M20 junction 1 |
Farningham | 13.9 | 22.4 | A225 north / Dartford Road – Dartford, Farningham, Sutton-at-Hone | Sutton-at-Hone signed westbound only; western terminus of A225 concurrency | |
14.3 | 23.0 | A225 south (Eynsford Road) – Eynsford, Otford, Sevenoaks | A225 and Sevenoaks signed westbound only; eastern terminus of A225 concurrency | ||
Wrotham | 20.6 | 33.2 | A227 north (Gravesend Road) / Pilgrims Way – Gravesend, Meopham, Vigo | Western terminus of A227 concurrency | |
20.9 | 33.6 | M20 west / A227 south to M25 – London, Swanley, Tonbridge, Borough Green | Eastern terminus of A227 concurrency | ||
21.8 | 35.1 | M26 to M20 / M25 / M23 / M4 – Maidstone, Dover, Gatwick Airport, Redhill | M26 junction 2a | ||
Wrotham Heath | 22.2 | 35.7 | A25 west (Maidstone Road) – Sevenoaks, Platt, Borough Green | Eastern terminus of A25 | |
Leybourne | 25.7 | 41.4 | Ashton Way / Castle Way / Oxley Shaw Lane / A228 / M20 / A26 – Rochester, Tonbridge, Kings Hill, Leybourne | ||
Aylesford | 28.7 | 46.2 | Coldharbour Lane to M20 / A229 – Chatham | To A229 and Chatham signed eastbound only | |
Maidstone | 30.6– 30.8 | 49.2– 49.6 | A26 south-west (Tonbridge Road) – Tonbridge, Barming | North-eastern terminus of A26 | |
30.9– 31.0 | 49.7– 49.9 | A229 north to M20 – Chatham | Western terminus of A229 concurrency | ||
31.5 | 50.7 | A229 south (Upper Stone Street) – Hastings, Shepway, Loose, Tovil | Shepway and Loose signed eastbound only, Tovil westbound only; eastern terminus of A229 concurrency; western terminus of A249 concurrency; southern terminus of A249 | ||
31.8 | 51.2 | A249 north to M20 / A229 – Sheerness, Chatham | Eastern terminus of A249 concurrency | ||
Hollingbourne | 35.6 | 57.3 | M20 – London, Ashford | Destinations signed westbound only; M20 junction 8 | |
Charing | 44.3 | 71.3 | A252 east / School Road to A28 – Canterbury, Chilham, Challock | Challock signed eastbound only; western terminus of A252 | |
Ashford | 49.4 | 79.5 | A28 (Templer Way / Simone Weil Avenue) / A292 (Maidstone Road) – Canterbury, Tenterden, Ashford, Great Chart | North-western terminus of A292 | |
49.8– 50.2 | 80.1– 80.8 | M20 west / A251 north – London, Maidstone, Faversham, Kennington | Kennington signed eastbound only; western terminus of M20 concurrency; southern terminus of A251; M20 junction 9 | ||
Willesborough | 52.4– 53.0 | 84.3– 85.3 | M20 east / A2070 / A292 north-west to A28 – Dover, Folkstone, Ashford, Hastings, Canterbury | Eastern terminus of M20 concurrency; south-eastern terminus of A292; M20 junctions 10-10A | |
Newingreen | 59.4 | 95.6 | A261 south-east (Hythe Road) to A259 – Hythe, Hastings | North-western terminus of A261 | |
Postling | 60.5 | 97.4 | M20 / B2068 – Ashford, London, Folkestone, Dover, Canterbury, Stanford (north) | Direct access eastbound only; M20 junction 11 | |
Newington | 63.2 | 101.7 | Channel Tunnel | No access eastbound | |
Folkestone | 64.7 | 104.1 | M20 west / Cheriton High Street – Ashford, London, Cheriton, Folkestone | Folkestone signed westbound only; western terminus of M20 concurrency; M20 junction 12 | |
65.5– 66.1 | 105.4– 106.4 | Folkestone | Eastern terminus of M20 concurrency; eastern terminus of M20; M20 junction 13 | ||
66.4 | 106.9 | Roundhill Tunnel | |||
Hawkinge | 66.7– 67.2 | 107.3– 108.1 | A260 – Canterbury, Folkestone | Grade–separated junction; Folkestone signed westbound only | |
Hougham Without | 69.8– 70.4 | 112.3– 113.3 | B2011 – Capel-le-Ferne, West Hougham | Grade–separated junction | |
Dover | 73.8– 74.0 | 118.8– 119.1 | A256 north (York Street) – Town centre | A256 signed westbound only, Town centre eastbound only; southern terminus of A256 | |
74.4 | 119.7 | A2 west / Port of Dover – Canterbury, Deal, Ramsgate, Sandwich | Eastern terminus; eastern terminus of A2 | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
The M2 is a 26-mile (42 km) long motorway in Kent, England, and was built to bypass a section of the A2 road in Kent, which goes through the Medway Towns, Sittingbourne, and Faversham. It provides an alternative route to the Port of Dover, which supplements the M20 motorway located further to the south. The terminal junctions of the M2 intersect with the A2, which come together to form a 62-mile (100 km) long trunk road from London to Dover.
The A2 is a major road in south-east England, connecting London with the English Channel port of Dover in Kent. This route has always been of importance as a connection between London and sea trade routes to Continental Europe. It was originally known as the Dover Road. The M2 motorway has replaced part of the A2 as the strategic route.
The M20 is a motorway in Kent, England. It follows on from the A20 at Swanley, meeting the M25, and continuing on to Folkestone, providing a link to the Channel Tunnel and the ports at Dover. It is 50.6 miles (81.4 km) long. Although not signposted in England, this road is part of the European route E15. It is also used as a holding area for goods traffic when traffic across the English Channel is disrupted, such as Operation Stack and Operation Brock.
Ashford is a town in the Ashford district, in the county of Kent, England. It lies on the River Great Stour at the southern or scarp edge of the North Downs, about 61 miles (98 km) by road southeast of central London and 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Folkestone by road. At the 2021 census, it had a population of 83,213. The name comes from the Old English æscet, indicating a ford near a clump of ash trees. It has been a market town since the Middle Ages, and a regular market continues to be held.
Folkestone and Hythe is a local government district in Kent, England. It lies in the south-east of the county, on the coast of the English Channel. The district was formed in 1974 and was originally named Shepway after one of the ancient lathes of Kent, which had covered a similar area. The district was renamed in 2018. The council is based in Folkestone, the district's largest town. The district also includes the towns of Hawkinge, Hythe, Lydd and New Romney, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas.
The A21 is a trunk road in Southern England, one of several which connect London and various commuter towns to the south coast. It provides a link to Hastings, East Sussex and parts of Kent. Half of the distance covered is over gently undulating terrain, with some hills and bends. Often traffic is slow-moving, particularly on weekdays on the short single carriageway stretches; and in summer with holiday traffic. Because of this, people have described the A21 as "a joke" and businesspeople have been reported to "hate coming down the A21". There have been many proposals to upgrade parts of the A21 in response to this.
The A25 road is an east–west main road in the South-East of England. Its carries traffic east from Guildford, Surrey, eastward through Surrey and into mid-west Kent, to the town of Sevenoaks, and then on to Wrotham Heath where it connects with the A20.
The M26 is a motorway in Kent, England. It is a short link between the M25 at Sevenoaks and the M20 near West Malling, which provides connectivity between southern England and the Channel ports in Kent.
Operation Stack was a procedure used by Kent Police and the Port of Dover in England to park lorries on the M20 motorway in Kent when services across the English Channel, such as those through the Channel Tunnel or from the Port of Dover, are disrupted, for example by bad weather, industrial action, fire or derailments in the tunnel.
The South Eastern Main Line is a major long-distance railway route in South East England, UK, one of the three main routes crossing the county of Kent, going via Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Ashford and Folkestone to Dover. The other routes are the Chatham Main Line which runs along the north Kent coast to Ramsgate or Dover via Chatham and High Speed 1 which runs through the centre of Kent to the coast at Folkestone where it joins the Channel Tunnel.
The A249 is a road in Kent, England, running from Maidstone to Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey. It mainly functions as a link between the M2 and M20 motorways, and for goods vehicle traffic to the port at Sheerness.
The A228 road is an important transport artery in Kent, England. It begins at the Isle of Grain and runs in a south-westerly direction to connect eventually with the A21 trunk road at Pembury. It serves existing communities and new and proposed housing developments and commercial enterprises. The most influential force on the recent upgrading of the road has been the development of Kings Hill near West Malling.
Longlands is an area of South East London that straddles the boundary of both the London Borough of Bexley and the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It lies north west of Sidcup and south east of Eltham.
Ruxley is a rural settlement of South East London, England that straddles the boundary of the London Boroughs of Bromley and Bexley. It is located 13 miles southeast of Charing Cross, the traditional centre of London, in the Metropolitan Green Belt between Sidcup and Swanley and is also adjacent to the Greater London border with the county of Kent.
Ashford is a town in Kent, England, which lies on several major transport routes.
Transportation needs within the county of Kent in South East England has been served by both historical and current transport systems.
Newingreen is a village near Folkestone in Kent, England. It is situated on the junction of the A20 and the historic Stone Street between Lympne and Canterbury. The village is near Junction 11 of the M20. It is in the civil parish of Stanford.
The A2070 is a major road running north–south through Kent from Ashford to Brenzett. It provides a strategic link between the M20 motorway and the A259, which runs along the East Sussex coast.
Operation Brock is the traffic management system in Kent, England, used to supplement Operation Stack during cross-Channel traffic problems. It was originally developed for use in the event of a no-deal Brexit and the name is derived from Brexit Operations across Kent.
Media related to A20 road (England) at Wikimedia Commons