A routine Monday morning on the M20 spiralled into travel chaos today, 18 August, after a collision involving a lorry and a tractor on an overbridge resulted in the tractor plunging onto the central reservation of the M20 motorway below. It’s reported a man sustained serious injuries and was airlifted to hospital. The dramatic incident brought traffic to a standstill, with National Highways warning drivers to brace for delays of up to six hours.
The collision, which occurred on the A227 overbridge near Wrotham, involved a two-vehicle crash that sent the tractor tumbling from the bridge, a surreal and devastating sight for those on the motorway. The agricultural vehicle came to a rest on the central reservation. Emergency services, including Kent Police, Kent Fire and Rescue Service crews, and an air ambulance, rushed to the scene. The immediate response was to secure the area and assess the situation, leading to the full closure of a key stretch of the M20 motorway in both directions.
“If this closure impacts on your planned route, please allow extra journey time,” a National Highways spokesperson advised, a statement that now feels like a profound understatement given the scale of the disruption.
The M20 is at a standstill:
- Westbound: Closed between Junction 3 (Addington) and Junction 1 (Swanley).
- Eastbound: Closed between Junction 2 (Wrotham) and Junction 3.
Diversion Details
Westbound traffic is advised to divert via the following route:
- Exit the M20 at J3 onto the M26 headed westbound.
- Join the M25 anti-clockwise at J6 and continue to J5/M20 J1 to continue your journey
Eastbound traffic is advised to divert via the following route:
- At M25 J5 roundabout, join the clockwise carriageway
- Exit the M25 at J6 and join the M26 headed eastbound.
Further information is available from National Highways by visiting our www.trafficengland.com website and travel apps, or via our regional X (Twitter) feed. Our 24/7 contact centre team is also available to provide up to the minute information on 0300 123 5000. As the afternoon wears on, the closures are expected to remain in place for several hours. The bizarre accident is a poignant reminder of how quickly a normal journey can be derailed by a single, catastrophic event.