TRL aids Highways Agency with M2 motorway hole investigation

The UK’s transport research Laboratory (TRL) provided a rapid response when asked for help as part of the investigation of the recent appearance of a hole in the central reservation of the M2 between junctions 5 near Sittingbourne and 6, near Faversham. The hole that appeared is believed to be a dene hole; an historic man made hole which may have been used to mine for chalk hundreds of years ago. The hole was filled in when the M2 was constructed, but recent wet weather contributed to the destabilisati
February 21, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
The UK’s transport research Laboratory (491 TRL) provided a rapid response when asked for help as part of the investigation of the recent appearance of a hole in the central reservation of the M2 between junctions 5 near Sittingbourne and 6, near Faversham.  

The hole that appeared is believed to be a dene hole; an historic man made hole which may have been used to mine for chalk hundreds of years ago. The hole was filled in when the M2 was constructed, but recent wet weather contributed to the destabilisation of the ground, causing the hole to appear.

Within a few hours of being asked for assistance, TRL was able to mobilise a team to be on site to provide two coring rigs and staff to undertake investigations of the carriageway in one lane either side of the hole to establish its integrity. The carriageway is constructed of jointed reinforced concrete with a thick asphalt overlay.

Two TRL teams working round the clock cored approximately 38 holes to help determine the extent of the problem.

The 503 Highways Agency has now stabilised the hole with forty tonnes of pea shingle and further geotechnical investigations by TRL confirm that the ground beneath the M2 is safe for traffic to use.

Further resurfacing work has finished, with all lanes now re-opened, nine days after the 15ft deep hole swallowed up the road surface.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • ROADflow cameras aid congestion reduction in London borough
    April 6, 2017
    Cohort company SEA’s ROADflow camera technology for monitoring traffic has led to major improvements in safety and reductions in traffic congestion for the London Borough of Enfield, says the company. Enfield installed the system nearly three years ago in an attempt to overcome dangerous and congestion forming behaviours such as drivers doing illegal turns as a rat run, to reduce commuting time, blocking yellow box junctions and driving in bus lanes during operational hours. Seven ROADflow Flexi bus
    Read More
  • Success of Transport for London’s real time bus information service
    October 18, 2012
    Since its launch a year ago, the UK’s Transport for London (TfL) Countdown real time bus information service has dealt with more than 620 million requests and, according to TfL, the service has made millions of journeys easier, dealing with an average of 1.6 million requests via the internet and smart phones and 36,000 requests via text each day. TfL has also recently completed the installation of 2,500 new and improved bus information roadside signs across the capital. These provide clearer amber text on
    Read More
  • Reducing congestion with Tomtom's historical traffic data
    December 5, 2012
    Historical traffic data provided by TomTom is being used by the local government in Spain’s Basque region to reduce road congestion at less cost. Old habits die hard. Photos from as far back as the 1930s show people counting cars by the roadside in order to provide congestion data to those running road networks. Today, such techniques are still used, albeit augmented by a range of automation technologies such as inductive loops, infra-red sensors and number plate recognition. Even with these advances, howe
    Read More
  • Elon Musk’s underground movement
    August 3, 2020
    The Boring Company is building tunnels under various US cities – but for what? Kristina Smith delves deep into a project which may (eventually) have real appeal for mass transit providers and transportation agencies
    Read More

Highlighted Content