The motorway had to be closed when contractors reported the hole on Tuesday afternoon. (See previous report here.) Two lanes are now open to traffic in both directions on the M2 between junction 5 (A249) and junction 6 (Faversham) in Kent after a further lane was reopened this morning.
The Highways Agency and its service providers have been working round the clock to assess the damage and implement a speedy repair.
Geotechnical investigations are continuing to find the cause to allow the repair to be safely completed so that the remaining lanes can be reopened to traffic.
According to the Kent Underground Research Group, deneholes were dug to extract chalk to use as a fertiliser in ancient times. They are particularly prevalent in Kent and Essex. Wikipedia says that Pliny the Elder wrote about British chalk extraction in AD70.
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