Crews will be carrying out works on the A299 New Thanet Way and Chestfield Tunnel between late April and June to upgrade lighting in the tunnel to LED and complete a deep reconstruction of sections of the road between Whitstable and Herne Bay, previously impacted by changes caused by drier and hotter summers and wetter winters.
To ensure everyone’s safety the A299 will be closed eastbound (coastbound) from 8pm on Sunday 23rd April to 5am on Friday 26 May 2023. It will then be reopened before the westbound (London-bound) side is closed from 1am on Tuesday 30 May to 5am on Friday 30 June 2023.
The closure will be from the Clapham Hill (Whitstable) and Eddington (Herne Bay) junctions and a signed diversion will be in place using the A2290 Old Thanet Way.
The cost of the road resurfacing has been covered following a successful bid from KCC for a £4 million grant from the Department for Transport’s Challenge Fund. This helps to ease the council’s cost burden.
Meanwhile KCC will be investing £2 million in the upgrade of the lighting and its support system in the Chestfield Tunnel.
“This essential maintenance must be completed to ensure the ongoing integrity of the road and help us achieve our Net Zero objectives”
KCC’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, David Brazier, said: “This essential maintenance must be completed to ensure the ongoing integrity of the road and help us achieve our Net Zero objectives.
“While we acknowledge these works will cause a short period of disruption, completing them in the same period delivers on our aim to plan works in a way which is as smart as possible, minimising cost to taxpayers and inconvenience for residents and drivers as far as possible.
“I want to thank people in advance for their patience while our crews carry out these essential works.”
The works will be most effective when not done during the cold and wet months of the year. In scheduling this work we have sought to avoid the busiest months of the holiday season.
You can find out more about the planned works, including a map of the planned diversion route, by visiting the dedicated A229 New Thanet Way project website.
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