Highways Agency

A2/M2 and A249 (M2 to Sheppey)

Route description

For the purposes of this strategy, the length of the A2/M2 route considered is from the Greater London boundary with Kent County Council to the junction with the A20 at the entrance to the Eastern Docks at Dover. The A249 part of the strategy covers the trunk road section of this road, that is, from its junction with the M2 at Junction 5 to its northern termination point at the entrance to Sheerness Docks.

The first section of the A2 from the Kent County Council boundary, runs south of Dartford and crosses the M25 at Junction 2. This section is known as the Dartford Bypass.

From the M25 intersection, the A2 rises to a high point at its junction with the B255 (main access to Bluewater shopping complex), before falling again through the 'Swanscombe cutting' to pass along the southern edge of the built up areas of Northfleet and Gravesend. It then passes through a short length of relatively open countryside before running into the start of the M2 (Junction 1).

The final length of the eastern part of the A2, together with the M2 from Junction 1 to Junction 4 has been widened from its original dual 2-lane width to dual 3 or 4-lane carriageway, this work being completed in July 2003.

From Junction 1, the M2 falls to cross the River Medway by a high-level bridge. As part of the widening work, the original motorway bridge carrying both carriageways of the M2, has been reconstructed to carry the new 4-lane coast bound carriageway. A second bridge has been constructed alongside this to form the London bound carriageway of the M2.

From the Medway crossing, the M2 rises again to the top of the North Downs skirting built up areas of the Medway towns of Rochester, Chatham and Gillingham.

The interchange at Junction 3 between the M2 and the A229 forms an important and heavily used intersection between the M2 and both the Medway towns and Maidstone, and between the M2 and M20 corridors through Kent. This interchange was completely rebuilt from its original form as part of the M2 widening works.

Beyond Junction 3, the M2 continues to run along the top of the North Downs to Junction 4 and 5, passing the only Motorway Service Area on the route (Medway Services) between Junction 4 and 5.

At Junction 5 the M2 intersects with the A249, which forms the connection between the motorway and the port of Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey (see below for description of A249).

From Junction 5 to Junction 7 the M2 crosses mainly fairly open countryside but passes close to a number of villages. The countryside undulates along the chalk Downs and the M2 roughly follows the contours of the land.

The M2 intersects with the A251 just south of Faversham before shortly after this terminating at Junction 7 (Brenley Corner). At Junction 7, the M2 traffic passes through a grade-separated interchange in order to connect to the eastern section of A2. The direct free flow movement from the end of the M2 leads into the A299 Thanet Way, serving the north-east Kent towns.

Beyond M2 Junction 7, the A2 is formed of a combination of the original A2 widened to create the current dual carriageway, and a series of bypasses (off original line) around the various communities.

The road passes to the southwest of Canterbury and the northeast of Bridge on 'new' alignments, before returning to the line of the original A2 as far as the Lydden junction. This junction is an at-grade traffic signalled junction marking the location where a completely new road was constructed (in the 1970's) in order to take the A2 out of Dover town and create a link directly to the entrance to the Dover Eastern Docks.

The most easterly section of A2 from Lydden junction to the docks is largely of single carriageway construction and passes through at-grade roundabout junctions at Whitfield and Guston.

The final length of A2 down to sea level at Dover, passes along a viaduct that when constructed, was over open sea, but due to major reclamation works over the years, is now over land.

The route terminates at a roundabout junction with A20 at the entrance to Dover Eastern Docks.

A249

The A249, from M2 Junction 5, is of dual 2-lane construction from the M2 to a point just south of the Kingsferry crossing of the Swale (the waterway between the mainland and the Isle of Sheppey). This section of road is of relatively recent construction, being opened in the mid 1990's and crosses open marshland areas as it heads north from the A2 Key Street interchange.

The existing Swale crossing comprises a lifting bridge, which the A249 passes over. The section then becomes a single carriageway road and continues to run across marshland as far as its roundabout intersection with the B2231 at Cowstead Corner. It then intersects with the A250 at a further roundabout junction, before bypassing Queenborough via a long viaduct. It then largely follows the original road into Sheerness terminating at the port entrance.