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Maidstone Joint Transportation Board

4 January 2023

 

Maidstone Integrated Transport Package (MITP)

 

Decision Making Authority

Kent County Council/Maidstone Borough Council

Lead Director

Haroona Chughtai

Lead Head of Service

Tim Read

Lead Officer and Report Author

Barry Stiff/Lee Burchill

Wards and County Divisions affected

Maidstone Borough including Tonbridge & Malling

Which Member(s) requested this report?

Committee

 

 

This report makes the following recommendations:

 

For Information. That this report be noted.   

 

 

 

 

Timetable

Meeting

Date

Maidstone Joint Transportation Board – Update Report

04 January 2023



Maidstone Integrated Transport Package (MITP)

 

1.         INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

 

1.1         This report provides an update in respect of the major schemes currently in progress within Maidstone and the proposed junction      improvements contained within the Maidstone Integrated Transport Package (MITP).  A map showing the locations of these schemes is included as Appendix 1.

 

1.2         Projected start dates for the various schemes are as follows:

·         A249 Bearsted Road – February/March 2023

·         A20 Coldharbour Roundabout – September/October 2023

·         A20 London Road/Hall Road – June 2024 (subject to co-ordination with Coldharbour)

·         A229 Loose Road – Wheatsheaf Phase 1 – March 2022 (Experimental Closure of Cranborne Avenue)

·         A229 Loose Road - Armstrong Road - October 2022

·         A229 Loose Road – Sheals Crescent – TBC

·         A229 Loose Road - Wheatsheaf Phase 2 – May 2023

·         A229 Loose Road – Cripple Street/Boughton Lane – TBC (Currently Paused)

·         A20 Ashford Road/Willington Street – March 2024 (Subject to coordination with Wheatsheaf Phase 2 and Bearsted Road)

·         A274 Sutton Road/Willington Street – TBC (Currently Paused)

·         A26 Tonbridge Road/Fountain Lane – TBC (Insufficient Funding in Place)

 

1.3         Local Growth Fund – As reported in the August JTB update, KCC are no longer required to provide an update at each SELEP Accountability Board meeting. Updates are now only required if new risks are identified.

 

A summary of the decision of the Accountability Board meeting held on 15 July 2022. is available on the SELEP website by using the link below:

 

https://www.southeastlep.com/good-governance/our-boards/accountability-board

 


2.            SCHEME UPDATES:

 

2.1      A249 Bearsted Road Major Infrastructure Project (Funded through National Productivity Investment Fund):

 

2.1.1     All pre-commencement planning conditions covering the three planning permissions for the scheme are due to be discharged late December 2022/early January 2023.

 

2.1.2     This has delayed commencement of the scheme, but once discharged the main works are anticipated to commence during February/March 2023. Although work to establish the site compound and to carry out some initial offline works could commence in late January 2023.

 

2.1.3     Engagement with residents and key stakeholders will take place as soon as the pre-commencement conditions are discharged, and a precise start date has been determined

 

2.1.4     At the time of writing this report, KCC were still waiting for confirmation from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities as to whether the Levelling Up Fund bid had been successful for the proposed M20 Junction 7 Improvements. KCC are also still to receive confirmation from MBC regarding the application to the Strategic CIL Funds for this improvement.

 

2.2         A20 Coldharbour Roundabout/A20 London Road - Hall Road (LGF Scheme):

 

2.2.1     The next stage of the procurement process is due to commence in January 2023 with a contractor expected to be appointed in early summer 2023.

 

2.2.2     Following comments made at previous JTB’s, a review of the vegetation to be removed has been completed, which has confirmed that all trees identified to be removed are required for the delivery of the improvement.

 

2.2.3     Construction is expected to start with the off carriageway works in Autumn 2023 with construction being co-ordinated with the A249 Bearsted Road scheme, to avoid unacceptable conflicts with roadworks near two key junctions of the M20. Completion is expected in Summer 2024. It may be possible to bring this date forward, but this will be dependent on the final phasing of the Bearsted Road project, which is currently being agreed with the appointed Contractor.

 

2.2.4     The proposed scheme for the A20 London Road/Hall Road, Aylesford, continues to be developed alongside the Coldharbour scheme.  The procurement and construction of these works will follow on from the Coldharbour scheme.

 

2.3        A229 Loose Road Corridor (LGF Scheme):

 

2.3.1     The Loose Road corridor comprises of four separate junction improvement schemes:

 

·     A229 Loose Road junction with the A274 Sutton Road (Wheatsheaf junction)

·     A229 Loose Road junction with Armstrong Road/Park Way

·     A229 Loose Road junction with Sheals Crescent

·     A229 Loose Road junction with Cripple Street/Boughton Lane – paused following the consultation process

 

2.3.2     A229 Loose Road junction with the A274 Sutton Road (Wheatsheaf junction)

2.3.3     As reported at the previous JTB, the consultation period for the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) for the trial closure of Cranborne Avenue has now come to an end.

2.3.4     A report on the findings of the consultation along with confirmation of the final design of the junction will be shared at the next JTB meeting, prior to KCC deciding if the TRO should be made permanent or not.

2.3.5     Following concerns raised by residents, and further monitoring of the junction, mitigation has been considered at Plains Avenue to address the issue of exit blocking caused by parked vehicles. This is likely to be in the form of permanent parking restriction and the consultation for the TRO is currently being planned.

2.3.6     The second phase of the scheme, which will include the demolition of the pub and construction of the new junction is currently expected to be carried out between Spring 2023 and Spring 2024.

2.3.7     A229 Loose Road junction with Armstrong Road/Park Way

2.3.8     Works to improve this junction commenced in October and although progress has been hampered by the adverse weather in November and December 2022, the scheme is due to be substantially complete by Christmas 2022, with the new signals commissioned in early January 2023.

2.3.9     A229 Loose Road junction with Sheals Crescent

2.3.10   It was originally envisaged that this work would be delivered at the same time as the Armstong Road improvements, but it has been decided to delay these works to allow the impact of the Armstong Road works to be assessed. An update will be provided at a subsequent JTB meeting.  

2.3.11   A229 Loose Road junction with Cripple Street/Boughton Lane

2.3.12   The status of this scheme remains the same as reported in the August and October updates.

2.3.13   This design was paused following the consultation process but a revised scheme to avoid any impact to the landscaped area in front of the shops has been developed. Whilst this may deliver some minor improvements to the length of the right turn lane into Cripple Street, it is not expected to deliver any noticeable capacity benefits.

2.3.14   Half bus laybys have also been considered in the design, which will allow some vehicles to pass a stationary bus and whilst this may help with driver frustration at being held up it will not provide any capacity benefits to the junction.

2.3.15   The costing of this amended scheme has been delayed due to outstanding estimates of utility diversions, once received it will be possible to provide a cost versus benefit comparison of options to be made and it is hoped these will be shared at the next JTB meeting.

 


2.4         A20 Ashford Road junction with Willington Street (LGF Scheme):

2.4.1     Due to other projects being carried out in the vicinity of this junction, construction will need to be programmed to commence after the A249 Bearsted Road project has been completed . Accordingly, the earliest this could be delivered would be Spring 2024, although it may be possible to bring this date forward subject to the traffic management requirements for Bearsted Road. It will also need to be co-ordinated carefully with the Wheatsheaf improvement scheme.

 

2.5         A26 Tonbridge Road junction with Fountain Lane (Developer Funded Scheme):

 

2.5.1     The status of this scheme has not changed since previous updates and until the relevant S106 contributions are available KCC is not able to progress the detailed design.

 

2.6         A274 Sutton Road junction with Willington Street (Developer Funded Scheme):

 

2.6.1     This is a developer funded scheme with no deadline on the spend, and as such, this scheme will be promoted towards the end of the overall programme to allow schemes with funding constraints to be delivered first.  This will ensure that other funding streams which have been secured are not lost and reallocated outside of the County.

 


3.         

         Appendix 1:

Map of Highway Improvement Schemes in Maidstone