Home   Sheerness   News   Article

Minster Road, Halfway, to be resurfaced after damage by lorries

A vehicle trying to get past the traffic Island in Minster Road
A vehicle trying to get past the traffic Island in Minster Road

Large vehicles going to and from a school construction site are severely damaging parts of a road, a Halfway resident has claimed.

David Jones said the carriageway outside his home in Minster Road is too small for vehicles which are being used in the second phase of work to transform the Isle of Sheppey Academy’s east site.

Mr Jones, who is the secretary of Halfway Houses Residents' Association, said: “We have had everything going along here – tipper lorries, cement mixing lorries, huge cranes. The worst of all are the transporters carrying very large plant.

“The damage to the road surface is also causing noise and vibration in adjacent houses.

“It’s a farce which has been continuing for a number of years since Kent County Council (KCC) installed a pedestrian island in the road almost adjacent to my property.

“Residents living nearby, me included, say this has made the carriageway on either side of the island far too narrow.

He said buses and HGVs are forced to go close to the kerb or on to the pavement because of the road width.

He added: “The wheels of the large vehicles keep running over the same spot, forcing down the road surface.

“KCC has been back four or five times to resurface the road over the past eight or nine years because it gets damaged so frequently. It has cost many thousands of pounds.”

Mr Jones said on one occasion last month a transporter carrying a large item of plant, which he believes came from the school, was jammed for so long by the traffic island that frustrated drivers passed on the wrong side of the road.

A spokesman for KCC, which is also managing the construction of the school, said Minster Road remains the best option for construction vehicles as Barton Hill Drive is even less suitable.

He said: “Following a site inspection, we aim to tackle noise and vibration caused by the network of utility trenches and repairs on this section of Minster Road by removing part of the top layer of the carriageway then relaying this for the full lane width.”

David Day, principal of the academy, said the school sympathises with Mr Jones and has passed his concerns on to KCC.

Close This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.Learn More