Major roadworks lead to anger
A lane on the A2042, one of Ashford’s busiest dual carriageways, will be closed until April.
On Sunday, one of the southbound lanes of Romney Marsh Road and Avenue Jacques Faucheux, from the Newtown end of the Ashford Designer Outlet to Bad Munstereifel Road, was closed to “facilitate the develop- ment of the Designer Outlet”. Expansion work on the Outlet began in January to add an additional 50 shops.
The work on the A2042, which is expected to take 10 weeks to complete, will create a slip road connecting the shopping centre’s new car park – to be built on fields near Asda – with the dual carriageway, as well as improvement works on the Kimberley Way roundabout.
A Designer Outlet spokesman said: “Incremental improvement works to Kimberley Way roundabout will commence next week and are planned to last 10 weeks.
“This will also include the formation of a permanent slip road from the new car park at Ashford Designer Outlet, which will deliver a further 725 parking spaces at the centre.”
It is hoped that the lane will be open again by April 13.
But the news of the lane closure has prompted drivers to express their annoyance on social media. Charles Hills said: “Ashford’s road planning strikes again. They can’t get to grips with roundabouts or how road systems work and play a vital role in keeping traffic moving.
“We’re all condemned to spend hours of our lives sat in traffic because they have a five-year-old designing our roads.”
Paul Harris wrote: “No consideration for anyone in South Ashford. Not only will anyone living where this is the main route to town be badly affected, but the traffic finding alternative routes will cause the whole town to logjam. Insane! Why does the Outlet always get given special treatment?”
Claire Masters wrote: “Wish they would just concentrate on one lot of major roadworks in town at any given time.”
What do you think? Write to Kentish Express, Unit 4, Park Mall Shopping Centre Ashford, TN24 8RY or email kentishexpress@ thekmgroup.co.uk
Work has begun on the A2042, part of which will remain shut until April
