The A249 on Detling Hill, facing west towards MaidstoneThe A249 passing under the M2 viaductThe A249 approaching Sheppey Crossing from the south
The A249 is a road in Kent, England, running from Maidstone to Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey. It mainly functions as a link between the M2 and M20 motorways, and for goods vehicle traffic to the port at Sheerness.
In 2006, an upgraded dual carriageway section opened between Iwade and Queenborough, including a new fixed crossing over the Swale. The existing lifting Kingsferry Bridge was retained as an alternative route. On 5 September 2013, more than 100 vehicles were involved in an accident on the crossing.[1]
The A249 begins close to Maidstone town centre, heading eastwards from the southbound A229 Lower Stone Street along first Mote Road and then along Wat Tyler Way. Due to Maidstone's one-way system, the westbound carriageway extends for a short way along Knightrider Street (towards the Archbishop's Palace, Maidstone) but then ends where it meets the northbound carriageway of the A229. At the top of Wat Tyler Way, where that road meets King Street, the A249 occupies a small gyratory system that joins the A20 (heading east to Ashford).
From there, the A249 heads north on Albion Place. This very quickly becomes the Sittingbourne Road, which crosses over the railway line between Maidstone and Bearsted. After passing Vinters Park, it reaches the north end of the town at the Chiltern Hundreds roundabout (named after the adjacent pub). This old route between Maidstone and Sittingbourne is broken, as the old Sittingbourne Road has become a park and ride facility. This break occurred during the 1990s, as the result of works to widen and upgrade the former A20(M) Maidstone Bypass section of the M20 to remove a bottleneck on the newly completed motorway.
Instead of that old course, the route now turns east onto the Bearsted Road towards Grove Green, becoming a dual carriageway, before turning north again just before Newnham Court Farm. There, the route crosses the M20, rejoining the Sittingbourne Road at the exit of the motorway roundabout. From this point onwards, the route becomes primary.
The road then climbs up onto the North Downs via Detling Hill, past the village of Detling and crossing the Pilgrim's Way and North Downs Way (between Boxley and Thurnham). Just after the M20 junction, where it meets Pilgrim's Way, there is a footbridge called Jade's Crossing, named after a schoolgirl who died along with her grandmother in a road accident in 2000 whilst attempting to cross the busy road in the absence of such a bridge.[2] Immediately after the footbridge, the carriageways diverge, with the northbound carriageway taking a higher route up the hill and the southbound carriageway taking a separate lower route that includes a chicane at the bottom of the steep hill.
After Detling Hill, the road becomes known as the Maidstone road and passes the Kent County Showground (on the left) and White Horse Wood (on the right). Further on, the road passes a large lay-by on the northbound carriageway, which was closed in 2005 after local residents complained that it was a haunt of doggers.[3] The road passes the village of Stockbury (on the left) and then arrives at a junction with the M2.
From there, the route used to carry on as a single carriageway towards Sheppey on the old Maidstone Road. However, in the mid-1990s, a new, dualled Maidstone Road running parallel but slightly to the west was completed, running under the M2 viaduct. The route then passes the hamlets of Danaway and Chestnut Street. The next junction on the A249 comes where it goes under the A2, with exits to a roundabout above that leads to Newington and Rainham to the west or to Sittingbourne to the east.
Past the A2, the route continues across the flat plains of Swale, past Bobbing (to the west), Kemsley and Milton Regis (to the east). As it approaches Swale railway station on the southern banks of the Swale, the road becomes the Sheppey Way, which crosses the Swale via the Sheppey Crossing, opened in 2006,[4] having previously used the Kingsferry Bridge, which lifts to allow ships to pass along the Swale; non-motorised traffic still uses the old route and rejoins the A249 on the island.
On the Isle of Sheppey, the road follows a new dual carriageway built in conjunction with the new bridge as far as Queenborough. Then it returns to a single carriageway along Brielle Way into Sheerness, past Blue Town (on the left), before ending at a roundabout near the seaport and former passenger ferry port in Sheerness. There, the A249 becomes the A250 on Bridge Road.
In 2020, Kent County Council installed mobile CCTV cameras along the A249 in anticipation of HGV backlogs due to Brexit.[5]
Improvements to Stockbury interchange
From September 2021, National Highways are carrying out improvements to J5 of the M2 at Stockbury, which will involve the construction of a new flyover of the roundabout for A249 traffic heading through the junction, and new slip-road connections between the M2 and the A249.[6][7] Works to realign the slip roads leading from the A249 to the eastbound carriageway of the M2 were completed in January 2023.[8] New local road links are also being built as part of the scheme. The entire scheme is now scheduled for completion in early summer 2024.[9]
Related Research Articles
The Isle of Sheppey is an island off the northern coast of Kent, England, neighbouring the Thames Estuary, centred 42 miles (68 km) from central London. It has an area of 36 square miles (93 km2). The island forms part of the local government district of Swale. Sheppey is derived from Old English Sceapig, meaning "Sheep Island".
The M2 is a 26 mile long motorway in Kent, England, and was built to bypass a section of the A2 road in Kent, which goes through the Medway Towns, Sittingbourne, and Faversham. It provides an alternative route to the Port of Dover, which supplements the M20 motorway located further to the south. The terminal junctions of the M2 intersect with the A2, which come together to form a 62 mile long trunk road from London to Dover.
The A2 is a major road in south-east England, connecting London with the English Channel port of Dover in Kent. This route has always been of importance as a connection between London and sea trade routes to Continental Europe. It was originally known as the Dover Road. The M2 motorway has replaced part of the A2 as the strategic route.
The M20 is a motorway in Kent, England. It follows on from the A20 at Swanley, meeting the M25, and continuing on to Folkestone, providing a link to the Channel Tunnel and the ports at Dover. It is 50.6 miles (81.4 km) long. Although not signposted in England, this road is part of the European route E15. It is also used as a holding area for goods traffic when traffic across the English Channel is disrupted, such as Operation Stack and Operation Brock.
The A20 is a major road in south-east England, carrying traffic from London to Dover in Kent. Parts of the route date back to turnpikes established in the early part of the 18th century. The line of the road throughout Kent runs closely in parallel with the M20 motorway.
Swale is a local government district with borough status in Kent, England and is bounded by Medway to the west, Canterbury to the east, Ashford to the south and Maidstone to the south west. Its council is based in Sittingbourne. The district is named after the narrow channel called The Swale, that separates the mainland of Kent from the Isle of Sheppey, and which occupies the central part of the district.
For other roads with the same name see List of A21 roads.
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Sittingbourne and Sheppey is a constituency in Kent represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Gordon Henderson, a Conservative.
Iwade is a village and civil parish 2 miles (3.2 km) north of the town of Sittingbourne in the English county of Kent.
The A228 road is an important transport artery in Kent, England. It begins at the Isle of Grain and runs in a south-westerly direction to connect eventually with the A21 trunk road at Pembury. It serves existing communities and new and proposed housing developments and commercial enterprises. The most influential force on the recent upgrading of the road has been the development of Kings Hill near West Malling.
The Kingsferry Bridge is a combined road and railway vertical-lift bridge which connects the Isle of Sheppey to mainland Kent in South East England. The seven-span bridge has a central lifting span which allows ships to pass.
The Sheppey Crossing is a bridge which carries the A249 road across the Swale, linking the Isle of Sheppey with the mainland of Kent. The four-lane crossing measures 21.5 m in width, at a height of 35 m over the water. The A249 links the M20 and M2 motorways to Sheppey. The bridge opened in 2006, and it provides an alternative highway to the neighbouring Kingsferry Bridge that was completed in 1959.
National Cycle Route 1 is a route of the National Cycle Network, running from Dover to Tain. The 1,264 mi-long (2,034-kilometre) cycle-path is located in the United Kingdom.
The A250 road is a minor British A-road on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. The route runs from Sheerness to Queenborough via Halfway.
Jade's Crossing is a footbridge in Detling, Kent, England. The footbridge crosses the A249, a major road which runs between Maidstone and Sheerness. The crossing is named after Jade Hobbs, who was killed attempting to cross the road in December 2000 aged eight. Her mother, Caroline, subsequently campaigned for the crossing to be built, and won a Special Award at the 2003 Pride of Britain Awards for her efforts.
The National Cycle Route 174 is part of the National Cycle Network in the United Kingdom. Part of it is known as The Sheerness Way.
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