Sittingbourne and Sheppey MP Kevin McKenna and Swale Borough Council leader Tim Gibson have written a joint letter to Kent County Council saying that a further delay to the completion of major roadworks near Iwade is “disappointing and wholly unacceptable”.
According to the BBC calls have been made for compensation for people impacted by the multi-million pound road improvement scheme in which has seen its completion date pushed back again. The A249 Grovehurst Road works near Iwade, which began in September 2023, had been expected to be finished by the end of 2024, but this target date was later pushed back to June 2025, and then to 2026.
Kent County Council (KCC) said complications in the planning, poor weather conditions in the early phase of the build, and works on the surrounding roads not associated with the project meant the timeline for completion had “slipped”.
KCC added: “As the highways authority we face the ongoing challenge of balancing traffic flow and public safety with the need to complete these vital improvements alongside other roadworks in the area.”
The politicians said their letter came about after traffic cones were reintroduced on both A249 carriageways at Iwade.
People in Kemsley and Iwade, as well as those travelling to and from Sheppey, had experienced longer travel times and higher fuel costs as a result of the works, the letter added.
It read: “The resulting overlap with the Key Street works has, at times, contributed to bringing Sittingbourne to a near standstill, costing businesses dearly. The potential impact of further day time closures along Swale Way is likewise causing significant concern for the knock-on effect it will have around Sittingbourne.”
The improvements include altering the slip and approach roads to the junction, service diversions, changing traffic signals and lighting, and major earthwork operations.
The authority had received £38.1m from the government’s Housing and Infrastructure Fund to deliver highway improvements at the Grovehurst Road and Key Street junctions of the A249 to the west of Sittingbourne.
(Pic: Kent County Council)
