The Bean Road Tunnel scheme proposes that a tunnel is constructed to connect the Ebbsfleet Garden City developments to Ebbsfleet International, Bluewater and to the wider Thameside area. This will be achieved by allowing for the existing Fastrack services to directly access Bluewater through the proposed tunnel rather than using the B255, a route that is often congested with private cars entering Bluewater.
Fastrack has become a significant bus route in the area, providing services to the Ebbsfleet developments and the wider Thameside region. This has allowed residents to better connect to key employment and service hubs which would, otherwise, only be accessible via private car use. The Bean Road Tunnel aims to further streamline this by giving the area a fast public transport connection to the key sites mentioned above.
The scheme will also provide a pedestrian and cycle route to allow nearby residents a variety of options for traveling to and from key local services. This is also being done to incentivise a modal shift away from private car use and towards more active travel and public transport options. This will ultimately contribute towards Kent’s wider goal of achieving net-zero by 2030 and to improve air quality in Kent’s urban areas.
This scheme will be partly funded out of the money provided by the Bus Service Improvement Plan; a package that is designed to improve the existing Bus services in Kent. The timescales of the scheme are currently under review following the funding agreement.
For more information on the Bean Road Tunnel scheme, please see the Kent County Council website
