Skip to main content

TRL assist Highways Agency with UK motorway hole investigation

TRL provided a rapid response when asked for help as part of the investigation of the recent appearance of a Dene Hole in the central reservation of the M2 in Kent, southeast England. Within a few hours of being asked for assistance, TRL was able to mobilise a team to be onsite to provide two coring rigs and staff to undertake investigations of the carriageway in one lane either side of the hole, between junctions 5 near Sittingbourne and 6, near Faversham, to establish its integrity. The carriageway is co
February 19, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
777 TRL provided a rapid response when asked for help as part of the investigation of the recent appearance of a Dene Hole in the central reservation of the M2 in Kent, southeast England.

Within a few hours of being asked for assistance, TRL was able to mobilise a team to be onsite to provide two coring rigs and staff to undertake investigations of the carriageway in one lane either side of the hole, between junctions 5 near Sittingbourne and 6, near Faversham, 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 hole has been filled with pea gravel and the motorway is open, with two lanes running in each direction around the hole. The M2 is expected to fully re-open tomorrow (Thursday) morning.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Asphalt plant technology meets market needs
    February 16, 2012
    Plants for mixing asphalt are becoming more sophisticated than ever, while users are looking for ecological and technological benefits. Patrick Smith reports. When the Adige Bitumi Group decided to renew its old M 260 plant it chose to collaborate with Marini for the design and development of a plant with production of 280-300tonnes/hour.
  • In-vehicle safety system from TRL
    August 19, 2015
    A sophisticated system to evaluate in-vehicle safety has been developed by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) in the UK. The protocol is based around four key categories of assessment: Relevance, Deployment, Usability and Resilience. A product is scored in each category with an overall score determined to allow a TRL recommendation status to be given to the product. The evaluation protocol can be used to provide independent support for the claimed benefits of the evaluated product and/or to provide exp
  • Tarmac goes low-carbon on UK’s A64
    December 20, 2024
    The trial was delivered on a 2.4km section of England’s A64 strategic highway, the eastbound carriageway at junction 44 near the town of Bramham in North Yorkshire county.
  • Progress for Lower Thames crossing
    May 12, 2016
    Progress is being made with regard to the Lower Thames Crossing project planned to the east of London. The timeframe of the project