A2 Traffic News
The A2 is an important and major road in southern England connecting the port of Dover with London. The road stretches for almost 72 miles from Borough in the capital and finishes at the Dover Docks.
The primary destinations along the A2 today include Dartford, Rochester, Faversham and Canterbury - the end of the route takes on the famous cliffs of Dover before terminating at the Eastern Docks.
The current route of the A2 is similar to that of a Celtic ancient trackway and was an important link for the Romans between the capital and Canterbury. The introduction of the Great Britain numbering scheme in the 1920s saw the road labelled the A2 and since then there have been numerous developments.
The Dartford Southern bypass was opened by the Prince of Wales in 1924, the Dartford Crossing opened in 1963 as a single tunnel and then a dual tunnel in 1980. The route has seen improvement works, the addition of relief roads and the construction of bridges plus motorways to help ease traffic congestion and improve access.
The A2 is considered one of the most impressive A-roads in the UK - much of that is thanks to how it works in harmony with the M2. Since the early 2000s both roads have been upgraded, elevating their functionality.
However, forecasts show that traffic on this road, the M2, M20 and A20 is expected to increase in the coming years and without intervention Kent roads especially will experience increased pressure. Unsurprisingly, freight traffic has been and continues to be a problem for the A2 and other major roads and motorways in the area. The number of lorries travelling to and from the ports in Kent is also expected to increase signi?cantly.
Worst Junctions on the A2
If you’re planning to travel on this major road, first look up the latest A2 traffic updates to help you avoid congestion, roadworks and accidents. Due to this road being an important connection between London and the port of Dover, it experiences large volumes of freight traffic. The following junctions are common hotspots:
M20 Junction 1/Dartford Crossing A2
This junction has a number of exits for other major roads and motorways meaning it can be a dangerous crossing to navigate. There have been many reported crashes here, so it’s best to approach this junction with great care.
A2 Eastbound
This isn’t a junction, but rather a stretch of road notorious for long delays caused by traffic jams. Data from traffic analysts Inrix found that between found that drivers lost 62 hours in 2016 to delays between New Cross Gate and Prince Charles Road, London.
A102 Northbound - A2/Kidbrooke to Blackwall Tunnel
The Inrix data also found that motorists lost 51 hours to delays here in 2016. While many roads are occasionally affected by traffic jams due to unexpected incidents, roads such as this regularly experience lengthy delays.
Brenley Corner
Brenley Corner, where junction 7 of the M2 meets the A2, was highlighted by a 2017 Highways England report as being in the top 50 national casualty locations. Traffic using the junction has increased in great numbers in recent years due to many new houses being built in the area.
Accident Hotspots on the A2
The A2 stretches for almost 72 miles and is an extremely important route connecting London to the port of Dover. This means there is always a high volume of traffic using the road daily. Therefore, this road experiences a high number of traffic incidents. Always check for A2 traffic news before you travel.
Where the M20 junction 1 meets the A2 for the Dartford Crossing is an extremely busy junction - it also has exits for Stansted Airport (M11), Sevenoaks (A21), Gatwick Airport (M23), Heathrow Airport (M4/M25), Swanley (B2173) and Reigate (A217). There are a number of incidents here each year due to drivers switching lanes.
Brenley Corner is where junction 7 of the M2 meets the A2 - this is considered to be one of the major accident hotspots in the country. Due to increased housing and limited improvements to the junction and surrounding roads, the road experiences high levels of congestion.
The Bean interchange at Bluewater shopping centre regularly experiences rush-hour congestion causing a number of incidents. Traffic volumes are increasing in the area and are, in turn, causing more and more road safety headaches.
Upcoming A2 Major Roadworks
This major road connects London to the port of Dover so, as you may expect, the A2 is regularly being considered for improvements. There are short-term roadworks regularly being carried out along the route. By using the RAC Route Planner service you can identify and account for potential delays in your journey with travel news from the A2.
A2 Bean and Ebbsfleet junction
As housing increases in this area, this planned improvement scheme looks to enlarge the current roundabouts at both junctions and add traffic light control systems. The proposed start date is March 2020 and end date is March 2023 but this scheme is yet to have planning consent granted.
Operation Stack: managing freight traffic in Kent
Forecasts show that traffic on the A2, M2, M20 and A20 is expected to increase on a network of roads that already struggles with volumes of freight traffic. Highways England are currently investigating possibilities for a permanent solution. This major scheme is in the consultation stage and all dates and co