The Sheppey Crossing opened 15 years ago today.

July 3, 2006 was the day motorists had been waiting years for and the bridge, which was part of a £100 million improvement plan for the A249 between the M2 and the Port of Sheerness, has since had a huge effect on the Island.

Roads Minister, Dr Stephen Ladyman, officially opened the crossing, after two years of construction, linking mainland Kent to the Isle of Sheppey and putting an end to years of delays.

Before the Sheppey Crossing was built, drivers had to use the neighbouring Kingsferry Bridge, which only has one lane in each direction and is a vertical-lift bridge, meaning traffic queues on and off the Island were commonplace. But, since, journey times have been cut dramatically.

Bride-to-be Kristina Wylie, from Sheppey, and her father James were the first members of public to drive over the new high-level crossing, as she set off on her way to her wedding to Marc Ackland at Cooling Castle, near Rochester.

They were escorted at about 12.35pm by Highways Agency Traffic Officer and Sheppey resident Dave Holmes.

More than 150 invited guests, including pupils from nearby schools, who attended the opening ceremony, waved and wished her well.

However, the past 15 years haven't been without tragedy and controversy.

On the morning of September 5, 2013, the Sheppey Crossing was the scene of ‘Britain’s biggest-ever collision’ when 130 vehicles crashed in thick fog on the Sittingbourne-bound carriageway.

Images of the cars, lorries, vans and motorbikes – which spanned about a mile – dominated news reports while the police said it was a miracle that no-one had died.

Then, in July 2014, Deborah Roberts and her eight-year-old son Marshall died when their car was struck by a lorry on the same stretch.

The following year, a coroner questioned the safety of the crossing which led to Highways England reducing the speed limit from 70mph to 50mph.

But, after a 17-month safety review of the bridge, the lower maximum limit was replaced with average-speed cameras. They were switched on, on May 30, 2017 and the 70mph speed limit was also reinstated.

The review found that despite the intention to slow traffic down to make it safer, the accident rate increased.

Since the cameras were installed, the number of accidents on the crossing has fallen.

Figures from Kent Police in June 2018 showed there had been 20 crashes on the bridge in eight years.

But since the cameras went live, just one crash on the crossing was recorded in 2017 and one again in the first six months of 2018.

Speaking ahead of the anniversary weekend, MP Gordon Henderson, who represents Sittingbourne and Sheppey, and was one of many people who campaigned for a second crossing on the Island for a number of years, said: "I was delighted when we finally got one, although somewhat disappointed that we didn't get a fully functioning bridge with proper lighting and places for broken down cars to take refuge in.

"They would have been good to have and subsequent to that, it proved that we needed lay-bys on the bridge when we had that huge pile up eight years ago.

"I did campaign to get things done to improve the road and get proper signage, which we have had.

"I'm just delighted that since that huge pile up and the tragedy the following year, we haven't luckily had any other major incidents and I very much hope that safety record continues."

Mr Henderson said despite the crossing having its downfalls, he could not imagine Island life without it.

"It would have been horrendous," he said. "The houses would have carried on being built, there's no doubt about that, and we would only have had the old railway bridge which, with the best will in the world, wouldn't have been able to cope as it couldn't cope before.

"We've only got to look at the tailbacks when the Sheppey Crossing is closed, for whatever reason. Whenever we see them, we should be thanking our lucky stars that we have the second crossing."

Over the past 15 years, the Sheppey Crossing has become a tourist attraction.

Not only has the impressive structure been used as a backdrop for keen photographers, but also for music videos.

Filming for pop star Dua Lipa's ‘Levitating’ video took place underneath the Sheppey Crossing last summer.

Although the singing sensation did not actually film on Sheppey, the music video has now been viewed on Youtube 34,288,583 times.

Other artists using the Island for their videos have included Robbie Williams, and The Kooks.

To coincide with this weekend's anniversary, Highways England has released several statistics.

It says an average of 34,060 vehicles have used the crossing daily in the past 12 months.

The most common reason for closure of the bridge, which is 35m high and 1.3km long, is adverse weather conditions and bad weather.

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And the highest number of vehicles to use the crossing in the past 12 months was in June 2020, when an average of 40,158 vehicles used the crossing per day – more than 1.2m vehicles used the crossing in that month.

John Farnaby, Highways England programme development specialist, said: "The Sheppey Crossing has been a huge benefit for the residents and visitors of the Isle of Sheppey.

"The bridge, which is a dual carriageway in both directions, has doubled capacity, improved journey times and made travelling to and from the Island more reliable for the 34,000 vehicles which cross it daily."

Read more: All the latest news from Sheppey

Read more: All the latest news from Sittingbourne