Paths in Gravesend town centre will be closed from Monday as they are given a revamp as part of the Rathmore Road improvement scheme.

An area around the junction of Stone Street and Clive Street will be the first to get a makeover as kerbs are realigned and new paving slabs are laid.

Decorative “heritage” paving, similar to that near Gravesham Civic Centre in Windmill Street, will be placed on part of the pathway.

The southern path will be closed to pedestrians first and people will be diverted on to the northern path. This will swap around when work on the southern path is complete.

Traffic will be able to travel down the road as normal.

Work in this area, being carried out by Jackson Civil Engineering, is expected to take eight weeks.

Similar work will be undertaken in Railway Place by another contractor later in the month.

Temporary traffic lights have been in Wrotham Road for about two weeks, which are causing some delays, particularly during rush hour.

Gas works in nearby Milton Road, between the junctions with Harmer Street and King Street, being carried out by SGN that were causing delays in the town centre have been suspended until next year.

The Rathmore Road improvement scheme, which is costing £9.5m and is scheduled to finish in December 2017, is designed to ease congestion and provide better access to the station and areas in the town.

A two-way link road is being created between Wrotham Road/Stone Street and Darnley Road, across the current Rathmore Road car park.

A new station forecourt will be built on the south side of the station and a number of improvements will be made to the look of the area.

Clive Road will become a cul-de-sac with a connection to Barrack Row for buses only and the St James’s Road junction with Darnley Road will be made an exit only.