Works to re-design a key junction are set to begin in six weeks.

The Key Street roundabout, which links the A2 with the A249 near Sittingbourne, will have a new layout to improve traffic flow and prevent vehicles queuing back onto the dual carriageway.

The scheme will see traffic lights installed on the Sittingbourne-bound off-slip, which will also be re-aligned so there will be two lanes heading towards Rainham, Sheerness and Sittingbourne, not three.

The junction’s existing pedestrian crossing at the slip road will also be upgraded to a signal-controlled crossing point and new road markings will be put in around the roundabout.

The works, which will be carried out by contractor Amey Highways on behalf of Kent County Council (KCC), were initially set to start on Monday, June 1 – but have been pushed back to Monday, July 6.

They will be carried out overnight on weekdays between 8pm and 5am over four weeks.

This date could change again if KCC does not receive approvals for the design and legal agreements from Highways England.

The Sittingbourne-bound off-slip will, however, be closed for one night on June 1, for survey work to be carried out.

County councillor Mike Whiting, who lives near the roundabout, is pleased work to improve the bottleneck is going ahead.

“The queues are just appalling and the effect on the air quality is appalling,” he said. “The junction simply cannot cope.

“It needed re-designing for it to be able to cope with the traffic it has now, let alone with any new housing developments.

“I am really pleased they are starting to do something.”

These works are being funded by developer contributions.

A bigger scheme is set to follow, which would include an express lane directly into Chestnut Street and onto the A249. This will be paid for by a £38.1m grant from the government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF).

Read more: All the latest news from Sittingbourne