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The A249 is a road in
Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
, England, running from
Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, l ...
to
Sheerness Sheerness () is a port town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 13,249, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby ...
on the
Isle of Sheppey The Isle of Sheppey is an island off the northern coast of Kent, England, neighbouring the Thames Estuary, centred from central London. It has an area of . The island forms part of the districts of England, local government district of Borough ...
. 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 Queenborough is a town on the Isle of Sheppey in the Swale borough of Kent in South East England. Queenborough is south of Sheerness. It grew as a port near the Thames Estuary at the westward entrance to the Swale where it joins the River ...
, including a new fixed crossing over
the Swale The Swale is a tidal channel of the Thames estuary that separates the Isle of Sheppey from the rest of Kent. On its banks is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest which stretches from Sittingbourne to Whitstable in Kent. It is also ...
. The existing lifting
Kingsferry Bridge 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. Opened in 1860, the ...
was retained as an alternative route. On 5 September 2013, more than 100 vehicles were involved in an accident on the crossing.


Route

The A249 begins close to Maidstone town centre, heading eastwards from the southbound
A229 The A229 is a major road running north–south through Kent from Rochester to Hawkhurst via Maidstone. It is a former Roman road that ran from Rochester to Hastings. The road is well known for Blue Bell Hill, which connects Rochester to Ma ...
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 A roundabout, a rotary and a traffic circle are types of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junct ...
system that joins the A20 (heading east to Ashford). From there, the A249 heads north on Albion Place. This very quickly becomes the
Sittingbourne Sittingbourne is an industrial town in the Swale district of Kent, southeast England, from Canterbury and from London, beside the Roman Watling Street, an ancient trackway used by the Romans and the Anglo-Saxons. The town stands next to th ...
Road, which crosses over the railway line between
Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, l ...
and
Bearsted Bearsted ( , ) is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish with a railway station in mid-Kent, England, two miles (3.2 km) east of Maidstone town centre. Geography The village was historically concentrated around Church Lan ...
. After passing Vinters Park, it reaches the north end of the town at the Chiltern Hundreds roundabout (named after the adjacent
pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...
). This old route between Maidstone and Sittingbourne is broken, as the old Sittingbourne Road has become a
park and ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, Rail transport, r ...
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 Bearsted ( , ) is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish with a railway station in mid-Kent, England, two miles (3.2 km) east of Maidstone town centre. Geography The village was historically concentrated around Church Lan ...
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 Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Work ...
. The road then climbs up onto the
North Downs The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. Much of the North Downs comprises two Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Areas of Outstanding Natural Be ...
via Detling Hill, past the village of Detling and crossing the
Pilgrim's Way A pilgrims' way or pilgrim way is a standard route that pilgrims take when they go on a pilgrimage in order to reach their destination – usually a holy site or place of worship. These sites may be towns or cities of special significance such ...
and
North Downs Way The North Downs Way National Trail is a long-distance path in South East England, opened in 1978. It runs from Farnham in Surrey to Dover in Kent, past Guildford, Dorking, Merstham, Otford and Rochester, through the Surrey Hills National Lan ...
(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. 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 A chicane () is a serpentine curve in a road, added by design rather than dictated by geography. Chicanes add extra turns and are used both in motor racing and on roads and streets to slow traffic for safety. For example, one form of chicane is ...
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 A rest area is a public facility located next to a large thoroughfare such as a motorway, expressway, or highway, at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel without exiting onto secondary roads. Other names include motorway ser ...
on the northbound carriageway, which was closed in 2005 after local residents complained that it was a haunt of doggers. 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 Sittingbourne is an industrial town in the Swale district of Kent, southeast England, from Canterbury and from London, beside the Roman Watling Street, an ancient trackway used by the Romans and the Anglo-Saxons. The town stands next to th ...
to the east. Past the A2, the route continues across the flat plains of Swale, past Bobbing (to the west), Kemsley and
Milton Regis Milton Regis is a village in the district of Swale in Kent, England. Former names include Milton-next-Sittingbourne, Milton Royal, Middleton, Midletun and Middletune. It has a population of about 5,000. Today it is a suburb of Sittingbourne, alt ...
(to the east). As it approaches Swale railway station on the southern banks of
the Swale The Swale is a tidal channel of the Thames estuary that separates the Isle of Sheppey from the rest of Kent. On its banks is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest which stretches from Sittingbourne to Whitstable in Kent. It is also ...
, the road becomes the Sheppey Way, which crosses the Swale via the
Sheppey Crossing The Sheppey Crossing is a bridge which carries the A249 road across the Swale (a tidal strait of the Thames Estuary), linking the Isle of Sheppey with the mainland of Kent. The four-lane crossing measures 21.5 m (71 feet) in width, at a height ...
, opened in 2006, having previously used the
Kingsferry Bridge 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. Opened in 1860, the ...
, 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 Queenborough is a town on the Isle of Sheppey in the Swale borough of Kent in South East England. Queenborough is south of Sheerness. It grew as a port near the Thames Estuary at the westward entrance to the Swale where it joins the River ...
. Then it returns to a single carriageway along Brielle Way into
Sheerness Sheerness () is a port town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 13,249, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby ...
, past
Blue Town Blue Town is a suburb of the town of Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. It sits on the A249 Brielle Way which runs from Queenborough to Sheerness. It sits just outside the dockyard wall which marks the boundary of Sheerness proper and to ...
(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 Brexit (, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). Brexit officially took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February ...
.


Improvements to Stockbury interchange

From September 2021,
National Highways National Highways (NH), formerly Highways England and before that the Highways Agency, is a State-owned enterprise, government-owned company charged with operating, maintaining and improving Roads in England, motorways and major A roads in Eng ...
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. Works to realign the slip roads leading from the A249 to the eastbound carriageway of the M2 were completed in January 2023. 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.


References


External links


Highways Agency – Iwade-Queenborough improvements

Highways Agency – Iwade-Queenborough improvements (photos)
{{DEFAULTSORT:2-0249 Roads in Kent