Issue details

The A226 London Road and A206 St Clements Way roundabout junction is located on a key strategic route between Dartford and Gravesend and also provides access to the Bluewater and Crossways retail/commercial developments and links to the Dartford Crossing. St Clements Way also forms a key part of the Fastrack bus service and provides direct access to Greenhithe Station.

The purpose of the scheme is to reduce traffic congestion, particularly during peak hours and to improve overall journey time reliability.  This will be achieved by increasing the capacity of the St Clements Way/London Road roundabout. The provision of new bus lanes in each direction on St Clements Way will also improve existing bus journey times and assist the planned expansion of the Fastrack bus service.

The site is very constrained by residential and commercial buildings and this has limited the footprint of the scheme to existing highway land or land which is under KCC’s ownership or control. This includes a strip of land that has been secured through a Section 106 agreement for the adjacent development of St Clements Lakes to the southwest of the London Road roundabout and an area of land that has been retained by KCC from the original construction of St Clements Way located to the west of St Clements Way.

The improvements will include an enlarged roundabout at the existing A226 London Road/A206 St Clements Way junction and a new bus lane in each direction between the London Road and Crossways Boulevard roundabouts.

·             Options

A feasibility study into different junctions options was undertaken, and options considered included the following:

·   Option A - Enlarged standard circular roundabout

·   Option B - Fully signalised junction

·   Option C - Enlarged oval shaped roundabout

·   Option D - Signalised oval shaped roundabout

An earlier design option that had been considered by KCC in 2003 was the provision of a low headroom underpass for cars only. This was looked at as part of this assessment but was not considered viable due to the presence of a high water table, the length of underpass required would exceed the space available, construction costs and buildability issues.

The findings of the feasibility study showed that Option C - the enlarged oval roundabout gave the best results in achieving the increased capacity required to deal with current congestion issues and allow for future growth. Although predicted to be over capacity in 2035 this option presents the best overall balance for an improvement within a very constrained site and it is hoped that by 2035 other highway improvements in the area will have come forward to alleviate future pressure on the junction.

·                How the proposed decision meets the objectives of ‘Increasing Opportunities, Improving Outcomes: Kent County Council’s Strategic Statement (2015-2020)’

The scheme supports the objectives by reducing congestion, improving the highway infrastructure to provide more reliable journey times and improved public transport links and accessibility, to support Kent business growth and encourage economic activity to benefit the local and wider communities.