Removal of damaged footbridge allows for reopening of M20

Highways England successfully reopened the M20 in Kent ahead of schedule following the removal of a section of footbridge that was damaged after being hit by a digger on a lorry the previous weekend.

The government owned company managed to fully reopen the motorway on Sunday (4 September) afternoon after calling in more than 100 people that were involved in an operation to demolish and remove the structure.

Prior to this work being done a complex operation was carried out to remove the collapsed section from the scene, and the road was reopened the day after the incident.

The remaining structure was considered structurally sound and safe for traffic to pass underneath with a temporary 50mph speed limit put in place until demolition took place at the weekend.

Originally the M20 had been due to be reopened by 6am on Monday (5 September) morning.