Client login
Password

News & Media > Facility Services

May Gurney praised for 'brilliant access road'

With work on the latest phase of the East Kent Access Road complete four months ahead of schedule and within budget, 40 pupils from four Sandwich schools marked the occasion by burying time capsules at the side of the newly-widened road.

The four-year £23m scheme will ease congestion along the busy Sandwich corridor and help attract new businesses to the area.

Children's TV presenter 'Raven' joined the pupils, as did Kent County Council Vice-Chairman Peter Lake and Mayor of Sandwich Joe Trussler. School uniforms, letters from pupils and a DVD about school life were among items placed in lead boxes.

Praising contractors May Gurney and Jacobs, Mr Lake said: "We have a brilliant access road which is going to help people living in and travelling through this area."

Work so far has been carried out in three phases. Phase 1A saw a new roundabout on the A256 Ramsgate Road and an access road along Pfizer's southern boundary. Phase 1B created a dual carriageway between the new roundabout and the old roundabout.

Widening the road in the opposite direction from the roundabout to the power station made up the £16 million Phase 1C. The final phase brought extra challenges for May Gurney's engineers who had to move electricity, gas and other pipelines away from the old road and relocate sluice gates for the Stonar Cut.

The Cut was constructed by George III in the 1770s to link two branches of the River Stour and was crossed by a narrow bridge, which has been widened.

"We have a brilliant access road which is going to help people living in and travelling through this area."
Peter Lake, Kent CC
A Kent Highways spokesman said: "This was a challenging scheme because of the difficulties with incorporating the different services and the need to move the sluice gates, but we overcame them."

Advanced works for Phase 2 could start next year, with work on the new road due to start in 2009 and be completed in 2011.