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A £92 million road upgrade project is finished – more than eight years after plans were first revealed.
National Highways, which is behind the scheme, has today announced its work on the Stockbury roundabout, near Sittingbourne, is now done.
Its contractor Graham has transformed M2 Junction 5 which has long been a congestion and accident blackspot.
The centrepiece of its work was the flyover, which opened in July, which has made A249 traffic free-flowing.
Meanwhile, the old roundabout, linking with Junction 5 of the M2, has been extended.
Two new slip roads were created, one for vehicles heading from the Maidstone-bound A249 to the London-bound M2 and another from the Sheppey-bound A249 to the M2 coastbound.
The changes were made as the junction had one of the highest collision rates in the country.
National Highways predicts the new measures will reduce accidents by around a third.
The plans were first unveiled to the public in 2017 and were approved after a public inquiry in June 2021.
The scheme has not been without its hitches, however.
During the construction, businesses in Stockbury told KentOnline in November 2023 they were struggling to attract customers as a result of the road works.
But almost eight years and five months on, National Highways project manager Jilwan Rahimi says he is “incredibly proud” to have completed a project of this scale and be “leaving behind a positive legacy for the local community”.
He added: “We are grateful for everyone’s patience and understanding while carrying out this work, which will provide smoother and safer journeys for thousands of road users every day.”
Dave Brown, contracts director for the project’s principal contractor GRAHAM, added: "The project is a testament to the hard work, collaboration, and commitment of the entire team and supply chain. Thank you to everyone involved."