- M2 motorway
UK motorway routebox
motorway= M2
length-mi= 25.7
length-km= 41.4
direction= West - East
start=Strood
destinations=Maidstone
end=Faversham
opening-date=1963
completion-date=1965
junctions= None
misc=The M2 is a
motorway inKent ,England . It is 25.7mile s (41.4km ) long and acts as a bypass of the section of the A2 road which runs through theMedway Towns ,Sittingbourne andFaversham . It is the only "M" motorway (as opposed to an "A-road(M)" motorway such as the A1(M)) that does not meet any other motorway at a junction (whilst the M57 and M67 do not connect to other motorways directly, they do meet other motorways at junctions which briefly require the motorist to use all-purpose roads to get from one to the other).Route
The M2 starts to the west of
Strood at Three Crutches, diverging southeastwards from the A2 road that heads eastwards from London. It begins at junction 1 with four lanes. It then descends towards theMedway Valley to the south of Rochester. Running parallel toHigh Speed 1 , it crosses theRiver Medway on theMedway Viaduct . On the west bank, Junction 2, the A228, is a complex junction where the exit roundabouts have to be built round the raillink track and still maintain, by footbridge and tunnel, a public footpath. On the east bank is the village of Borstal.The M2 then diverges from the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, climbs up north sideNashenden Valley toBlue Bell Hill and on to theNorth Downs on a split-level carriageway and meets junction 3 at Walderslade, south of Chatham. Here the road narrows to three lanes, and runs northeast across Crossington Fields, Westfield Sole, Lidsing, and Bredhurst towards junction 4, where it becomes two lanes. Continuing east, passing Medway Service Station, it crosses the A249 over theStockbury Viaduct at junction 5. It then continues along the rural North Downs, with a connection to the old A2 atFaversham . Shortly after this, it terminates at junction 7, allowing traffic to continue on either the A299 towardsThanet or the A2 towardsCanterbury andDover .History
Original Construction
The M2 was constructed in the 1960s, with the Medway bypass being constructed in
1963 and the rest in1965 . It was opened in stages [cite web |url=http://www.cbrd.co.uk/motorway/m2/timeline.shtml |title=Motorway Database - M2 Timeline |publisher=CBRD |accessdate=2007-01-27] :
*Junction 1 to 2 in 1965
*Junction 2 to 5 in 1963
*Junction 5 to 7 in 1965It was planned to extend the road to London and Dover, making the M2 the main route between London and the channel
ports , but this extension never materialised. The M2 was originally to be designated as the A2(M), but due to theDaily Telegraph reporting it as the M2, the Ministry of Transport changed the designation [cite web |url=http://www.pathetic.org.uk/features/numbering/part3.shtml |title=Copy of Civili Service minute |publisher=Pathetic Motorways |accessdate=2007-01-27] .Junction Amendments
The M2 stayed much the same until the 1990s. Traffic using it decreased when the M20 was completed from London to
Folkestone in 1991, and the M2 merely remains a bypass for the Medway Towns. Junction 1 was altered when the A289 "Wainscott Northern bypass" was built in the late 1990s.Widening
The M2 was still busy between Junctions 1 and 4 though, and in 2000 work began on upgrading the 2-lane M2 to 4-lanes. A joint venture between
Costain ,Skanska andMowlem (CSM) created the company that would undertake the project. The project required the redesign of Junction 2 and Junction 3, and a second Medway Bridge. The existing bridge was converted to a 4-lane, eastbound carriageway (including a hard shoulder). The new bridge formed the westbound carriageway. The entire stretch was lit with streetlights (the old section was not lit). The old Medway Bridge was physically narrowed by removing part of the footpath that was a feature on it. High-pressure water cutting equipment was used to cut the concrete into manageable sections for disposal although, the footpaths were not lost on either side, there is only one path open to public now.Spoil from the
North Downs Tunnel was used to from the new embankment for the London bound traffic between J2 and the Nashenden Valley.The widening was completed in July
2003 [cite web |url=http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/4028.aspx |title=Route Management Stratergy - A2/M2/A249 |publisher=Highways Agency |accessdate=2007-01-27] .ervice Stations
There is one dedicated service station under the "Moto" brand with a "Travelodge" hotel between junction 4 and 5.
Junctions
ee also
*
List of motorways in the United Kingdom References
External links
*CBRD
** [http://www.cbrd.co.uk/motorway/m2/ Motorway Database - M2]
** [http://www.cbrd.co.uk/media/photo/gallery17.shtml Media - Photos Of the Medway Viaduct Under Construction]
** [http://www.cbrd.co.uk/histories/openingbooklets/ Histories - Opening Booklets, including M2]
* [http://www.tony-frost.fotopic.net/c961972.html Photographs of the Medway Viaduct From Its Public Footpath]
* [http://www.tony-frost.fotopic.net/c332910.html Photographs of the M2 between Junctions 5 and 7]
* [http://www.iht.org/motorway/m2medway.htm The Motorway Archive - M2]
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