Bean Road Tunnel

This project is part of a wider programme of works under the Fastrack programme, which has been identified as being critical to the sustainable delivery of Kent Thameside. Fastrack is fundamentally a transport project, and Kent County Council as the local Highway and Transport Authority is responsible for delivery of the Fastrack network. Two haulage tunnels previously constructed through the chalk spine supporting B255 Bean Road to facilitate earthworks movements during the construction of Bluewater Shopping Centre during the mid-1990's, still exist and are suitable to form a new direct connection. As part of the highway infrastructure for Eastern Quarry a residential road network will be constructed that crosses the Fastrack Spine Road and will link to the existing Hedge End roundabout on Bean Road at the Northern edge of Bluewater. This route could be made available for Fastrack by moving from the dedicated Fastrack Spine Road to shared use residential roads. The most obvious connection is a continuation of the dedicated Fastrack Spine Road through a tunnel under B255 Bean Road going directly into the Bluewater road infrastructure and bus interchange. Fastrack Bean Road Tunnel is broadly a new 75m long tunnel (technically an underpass due to short length) through the chalk spine under the B255 Bean Road between Whitecliffe (former Eastern Quarry) and Bluewater Shopping Centre, serving to directly connect the shopping centre to the new Whitecliffe development and Ebbsfleet International Railway Station. It will form part of the Fastrack bus rapid transit system within Kent Thameside. The tunnel will house a 3.5m wide Bi-directional Fastrack busway linking Whitecliffe and Bluewater, as well as providing a combined footway / cycleway and footway linking the Whitecliffe and Bluewater as part of the Ebbsfleet Garden City green corridor network.