M20 bridge collapse: Motorway partially reopens after footbridge debris is cleared

Aftermath: The crash scene on the M20

28 August 2016

The M20 has partially reopened more than 24 hours after a footbridge collapsed, sparking hours of traffic chaos on one of the busiest weekends of the year.

Traffic can now use the eastbound carriageway of the Kent motorway, Highways England said, after a stretch between junctions one and four was cleared following yesterday's accident, which saw the structure stuck by a digger being transported on the back of a lorry.

The reopening was several hours later than planned, and Highways England said the westbound carriageway of the motorway, which links London with the Channel Tunnel and the Port of Dover, was still closed.

The incident happened at lunchtime yesterday, close to where the motorway meets the M26.

Authorities had hoped to reopen the motorway around noon after work to repair the road surface and clear the wreckage of the bridge and vehicles struck by it.

But it was delayed to later on Sunday afternoon following extensive safety checks.

The bridge came down between junctions three and four shortly after noon on Saturday.

A motorcyclist in his 50s was taken to hospital in Tunbridge Wells with suspected broken ribs following the incident while the driver of the lorry was treated for shock at the scene.

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M20 bridge collapse: Motorway partially reopens after footbridge debris is cleared

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