M2 junction 5 improvements

Latest updates

• 21 November 2023

  POSTPONED: overnight closure of the A249 southbound – Wednesday 6 December

  Our overnight closure to carry out repairs to the southbound A249 between the Key Street junction and Stockbury Roundabout has been postponed.

  Please check back here for the latest information about any upcoming closures.

  Come and meet the team

  We’ll be at the Oad Street Food and Crafts café on Wednesday 13 December between 10am and 12 noon, and again from 5pm to 7pm. Please do pop in to see us if you have any queries about the scheme.

  You can also email us at M2J5@nationalhighways.co.uk or call our Customer Contact Centre on 0300 123 5000, who will pass your details on to the team.

• 30 October 2023

  Second bridge lift is beaming marvellous

  And just like that, our next set of beams were in place.

  Weighing more than eight fully grown African elephants, and almost as long as two double-decker buses, 18 pre-cast concrete beams were lifted into place to the north of the Stockbury roundabout at the end of last week, as the new flyover continues to take shape.

  These giant beams were placed onto the supports, known as abutments, that have been built to the north of the roundabout, and forms the base for this section of the new flyover.

  A 450-tonne crane was used to lift into place the two edge beams weighing 56-tonnes each and 16 beams in the middle weighing 20-tonnes each. Getting the 22.5-metre-long beams into place was a delicate and challenging task, and we were able to do it all while keeping traffic flowing on the roads through the junction.

  The flyover is a key part of our improvements at this busy junction. Passing over the Stockbury Roundabout, it will provide free movement for anyone travelling on the A249, helping to improve journey times and safety.

  

  

  

  

  

  

• 24 October 2023

  Next Stockbury flyover beam lift, and a quick progress update

  This week will also see another big beam lift on site. Eighteen beams will be lifted into place to the north of the roundabout, as the new Stockbury flyover continues to take shape.

  The beams will be lifted onto the supports, also known as abutments, that have been built to the north of the roundabout, forming the base for this section of the new flyover. You may notice a large crane arrive on site soon ready for the lift.

  

  We’ll be keeping the current traffic management set up on the junction during the lift, there will be no additional closures.

  Ahead of the lift, we thought we’d take a quick look at how things are progressing.

  

  Two new dedicated slip roads are now open for traffic travelling between the A249 and M2. And since the installation of the 18 beams to the south-side of the roundabout, we’ve been working on the different layers that form the road deck for this section of the flyover.

  We’re progressing well with the installation of the specially designed flint and cobble walls to the flyover – we think they look fantastic.

  

  You may have wondered what the new circular road being built round the existing roundabout is? That’s the new larger roundabout, and we’re hoping to have this ready for traffic soon.

  

  In the community

  It was ‘on your marks…set…bake’ on the scheme recently, all in the name of charity.

  With rewards handed out for star baker, and the best faker, the team enjoyed a well-earned coffee and cake break as part of the nationwide Macmillan Coffee Morning, all while raising an amazing £413.

  

  And after enjoying all those cakes, ten volunteers took the opportunity to burn some calories by spending the day helping local charity Dandelion Time. Based in Maidstone, the charity works with Kent children who are experiencing serious behavioural and emotional difficulties as a result of trauma, together with their families.

  The farm setting provides the opportunity for families to experiment, play and connect within its fields, gardens, and woodland, and the volunteers spent the day carrying out garden maintenance including planting, weeding and bramble clearing. And anyone found assing around, got the special job of mucking out the donkey stables!

  

• 04 October 2023

  M2 London-bound on-slip reopens

  A section of the M2 London-bound on-slip has reopened earlier than planned. In the early hours of Thursday 28 September, we reopened access to the on-slip from the A249 southbound (from Sittingbourne). There is currently no direct access to the on-slip from the Stockbury roundabout.

  The left lane on the southbound A249 (from Sittingbourne) is only for traffic wishing to join the M2 using the new slip. Traffic wishing to get to Stockbury roundabout must use the right lane. There is no access to the Stockbury roundabout from the left lane of the A249 southbound.

  We appreciate that closures and roadworks can be frustrating, and we’d like to thank everyone for for your on-going patience and understanding while we work to improve M2 junction 5 Stockbury Roundabout to provide a safer junction for everyone.

  Temporary closure of Stockbury roundabout 

  Following the arrival of the first flyover bridge beams to the south of the Stockbury roundabout, you may have noticed work progressing well on the bridge to the north of the roundabout.

  As the northern bridge section is so close to the roundabout, to allow us to continue with construction safely, we've temporarily closed the northern section of Stockbury roundabout between the A249 northbound exit (towards Sheppey) and A249 southbound entry (from Sheppey towards Maidstone). It will stay closed until the end of November 2023.

  We’re also going to take the opportunity to start on the central flyover support and walls within the Stockbury roundabout.

  A diversion is in place via the A249 northbound to Bobbing roundabout and return on the A249 southbound carriageway.

  For traffic accessing the A249 from the M2 coastbound, please use the dedicated off slip to join the A249 northbound, you can not access the roundabout directly from the M2.

  Key Street slip

  With the temporary traffic lights having been removed from the A2, we’ve opened the northbound (towards Sheppey) A249 exit slip at the Key Street roundabout.

  We’ll continue to monitor traffic at this junction, and the wider area. If we believe there is an impact on the local community or drivers, we may close the slip road again.

  We’d like to remind everyone that the official diversion for the closure of the northern section of the Stockbury roundabout is to the Bobbing roundabout and back on the southbound A249. Key Street roundabout should only be used for local onward travel.

  A249 closures for central reservation and carriageway improvements

  We’ve now started on the new central reservation and carriageway improvements on the A249 south of Stockbury roundabout, which will form part of the upgraded junction. 

  A249 southbound lane closure

  We've closed a lane between the Stockbury roundabout and Rumstead Lane on the A249 southbound until early February. The other lane is open as usual.

  As we need to dig up the existing carriageway, the Church Hill crossover will also be closed. You can still access Church Hill via the A249 northbound. Just as a reminder, the South Green crossover from the A249 northbound is now permanently closed. You can still access South Green via the A249 southbound. 

  We know there’s never a good time to complete this kind of work on a busy road like this and understand this lane closure may cause disruption to journeys, for which we apologise. Taking a lane out of operation for a solid block of time, as opposed to just closing it at night or fully closing the road, means we can complete this essential part of the scheme as safely and efficiently as possible, with the least disruption.

  A249 northbound lane closures

  There are regular overnight lane closures on the A249 northbound (towards Sheppey) between Rumstead Lane and Honeycrock Hill, weeknights from 8pm to 5am, as we work on the central reservation.

  All businesses remain open as usual during all our closures.

  Come and meet the team

  We’ll be at the Oad Street Food and Crafts café on Wednesday 11 October between 10am and 12 noon, and again from 5pm to 7pm. Please do pop in to see us if you have any questions about the scheme.

  Don't worry if you can't make it, you can also email us on m2j5@nationalhighways.co.uk or call 0300 123 5000, and one of us will be in touch.

• 18 August 2023

  Stockbury flyover starts to take shape

  What’s almost as long as two double-decker buses and weighs more than eight fully grown African elephants? It’s our new bridge beams!

  And there’s not two, three or even ten of them, there’s 18…

  These giant precast concrete beams will support the road deck on the southside of the new flyover at the Stockbury roundabout, part of our improvements on the M2 at junction 5. And you may have spotted over the last few months, the team has been getting ready for their arrival by building supports – also known as abutments – for the beams to sit on.

  A 450-tonne mega crane was used to lift into place the two edge beams weighing 56-tonnes each and 16 beams in the middle weighing 20-tonnes each. Getting the 22.5-metre-long beams into place was a delicate and challenging task, and all while keeping traffic flowing on the roads through the junction.

  If you missed the action, here it is in around three minutes.

   

  We’re also delighted to have recently reached another momentous milestone – with more than 355,000 manhours worked on the scheme without a serious injury.

  We caught up with project manager Dan to find out more: “Construction sites can be dangerous places, and this scheme is being delivered alongside live traffic lanes to help minimise disruption, bringing in an additional safety risk. 355,000 safe hours is a really is a fantastic achievement, and testament to the project’s commitment to keep everyone safe, each and every day.”

  M2 maintenance work

  Separate from the improvement scheme, we're carrying out maintenance work on the M2, including resurfacing and bridge repairs. For more information about this work, visit our south east maintenance webpage.

• 19 July 2023

  M2 coastbound link to A249 now open

  The new link between the M2 coastbound and A249 northbound is now open. Thank you to everyone for your patience and support while we made the road ready for traffic and linked it to the existing slip road off the M2.

  This link has allowed us to start to remove the old A249 north of the roundabout. You’ll soon see piling machines arrive to begin on the construction of the supports for the northern side of the new flyover. Piling is a common construction technique that requires long vertical foundations to be drilled into the earth and filled with concrete for support.

  The scheme continues to be on track for completion in winter 2024.

  Local MP visits scheme

  We recently welcomed Sittingbourne and Sheppey MP Gordon Henderson for a tour of the scheme, and to talk through the progress we’ve made since his last visit in September 2022.

  During the visit he saw the recently completed Maidstone Road link and progress on the retaining walls and supports, also known as abutments, for the bridges that will link the new Stockbury flyover.

  Following the visit, Gordon said: “It is amazing to see the shell of the flyover, that is now noticeable. It will be fantastic when, sometime next year, you will be able to drive from Sheppey directly to Maidstone”.  

  

• 12 June 2023

  Maidstone Road link - now open

  We opened the new Maidstone Road link on Monday 12 June, a week earlier than originally planned.

  This new carriageway links Maidstone Road to Oad Street, and once the scheme is complete, on to Stockbury roundabout.

  Come and meet the team

  We’ll be at the Oad Street Food and Crafts café on Wednesday 12 July between 10am and 12 noon, and again from 5pm to 7pm. Please do pop in to see us if you have any questions about the scheme.

  Don't worry if you can't make it, you can also email us on m2j5@nationalhighways.co.uk or call 0300 123 5000, and one of us will be in touch.

  M2 junctions 4 to 5 resurfacing

  Separate from the improvement scheme, we're carrying out resurfacing on the M2.

  The M2 London bound between junctions 5 to 4 will be closed:

  • Monday 19 to Friday 23 June, between 8pm and 6am each night

  For more information about this work, visit our south east maintenance webpage.

  Other work in the area

  You can find out more about any other roadworks near the scheme on one.network.

• 15 May 2023

  Changes to how you use the A249

  Closure of the access to Stockbury roundabout from Maidstone Road

  On Monday 24 April, we closed the section of Maidstone Road that links to the Stockbury roundabout, south of Wormdale Hill.

  While we're working on the new link to Oad Street, there will be no access to the roundabout from Maidstone Road. We’re currently due to open the new link on Monday 19 June 2023.

  To access to properties and businesses on Chestnut Street and Maidstone Road, please use the Key Street roundabout.

  

  Changes to the A249 south of the Stockbury roundabout

  To allow us to start prep work for the flyover we’ve moved traffic heading southbound on the A249 from the Stockbury roundabout onto the new road next to the old southbound carriageway, this is shown above.

  While this move is temporary, this new road will later become a key part of our finished scheme - the new Oad Street link road. Once opened at the end of this year, it will give direct access to the Stockbury roundabout from Oad Street, Pett Lane and South Green. The road will also be the access for residents of Maidstone Road and Chestnut Street to the Stockbury roundabout.

  There’s currently no right turn from the Oad Street junction on to the northbound A249. To join the northbound carriageway, turn left, go to M20 junction 7 and return on the A249 northbound.

  Map of diversion route

  Northbound traffic approaching the Stockbury roundabout on the A249 has also moved to the old southbound carriageway, as shown above.

  Scheme gains top marks

  We’re delighted to have been rated as excellent by the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS).

  CCS is an independent organisation that promotes and supports construction sites in their efforts to care for the environment, local community and their workforce.

  The project was awarded 45/45, with the assessor commenting that “the team are striving to go one step further to ensure they are showing consideration across all three sections of the schemes core code”.

  Following the review, project manager Dan said: “The complexities of the building a project of this size cannot be underestimated, and I am delighted that we have been able to achieve a score of 45/45 whilst doing so. It is a reflection of all the hard work the project team have been doing.”

  

   

• 22 September 2021

  Want to know more about our work on the M2 junction 5?

  Our virtual exhibition is open

  Our work to start the M2 junction 5 improvements begins at the end of the month, with site clearance taking place before the main construction work starts in January 2022.

  You can visit our virtual exhibition to find out more about the scheme, what we’ll be doing and when, and how we’ll be protecting the environment throughout construction, along with a host of other information.

  The project team will also be on hand at the following times to any questions you may have:

  Wednesday 22 September from 9am – 12pm

  Thursday 23 September from 3pm – 6pm

  Friday 24 September from 10am – 1pm 

  Saturday 25 September from 9am – 12pm

  Don’t forget to sign up to our newsletter on the right-hand side of this page to stay up to date with the project as construction begins.

  As restrictions have been lifted, we’ll also be running some face-to-face events in late October. The dates, timings and locations of the events will be advertised here on our project website and through our social media channels.

  You’re also welcome to call us on 0300 123 5000 or email us at m2j5@nationalhighways.co.uk to speak to one of the team about the project.

  Preparation work – September 2021 to January 2022: Site clearance, compound installation and utility pipe diversions

  We will soon be starting preparation work at the end of the month, which need to be completed in order for us to begin the main construction activities in January 2022.

  These works will include:

  • The diversion of water pipes, electricity and phone lines
  • The installation of a site compound
  • Vegetation and site clearance

  The majority of these works will be taking place away from the roads, but some lane and full closures will be required. These will be advertised both here, as well as through our social media channels.

• 21 June 2021

  Public Inquiry decision announced

  Today we welcomed the Secretary of State for Transport’s decision to approve our proposed improvements for M2 junction 5 Stockbury Interchange. The decision can be viewed on Programme Officer’s website. 

  Thank you to everyone for their engagement and contribution in the development of the scheme to date.

  Improving the Stockbury Interchange will bring real benefits to the drivers who use this junction daily, and it will improve the flow of traffic around this junction, providing a safer and more integrated network for everyone.

  Further information regarding the consultation and decision is available on the Programme Officer’s website. 

  To make sure you know what’s coming up, sign up to our project newsletter using the sign-up link below, we’ll also be providing regular updates on this page.