Freight companies have welcomed news of a new lorry park close to the M20 that is designed to ease pressure caused by traffic control measure Operation Stack.
The new site will be at Stanford West, off the M20, and was confirmed this week by the department for transport. It will have space for 3,600 lorries and will help ease pressure on Kent roads when there are delays at Stanford West, the Freight Transport Association said.
Construction work will start as soon as possible with spaces available from summer 2017.
Transport minister Patrick McLoughlin said: “Operation Stack is only ever used as a last resort but we recognise the impact it has on roads in Kent, and are determined to deliver an alternative solution.
“The new lorry area by the M20 will deliver better journeys for drivers and will not only support the region’s economy but also businesses as far away as Scotland that rely on the M20 to access the Port of Dover and the Channel Tunnel.”
McLoughlin said the government has committed up to £250 million for the lorry area and is “now making it a reality”. “FTA has been pressing for a permanent solution to the problems caused by Operation Stack so we’re delighted that the new lorry area could be ready by next summer,” said the FTA’s head of policy for London and the south east, Natalie Chapman.
“This will end the misery for thousands of residents and businesses whose lives have been repeatedly disrupted by Operation Stack on the M20, especially last summer when it was implemented 32 times. However, the design of the lorry site is crucial to ensure that trucks can be quickly moved to the port and Eurotunnel as soon as capacity is available.”
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