Motorists face more traffic woes on the A229 Blue Bell Hill when the road will be closed overnight.

They have been struggling to get to the Medway Towns from Maidstone since Sunday, November 6 after a gas main sprung a leak.

Now gas company SGN has been given permission to close the whole of the Medway-bound carriageway overnight next Thursday (December 1) from 8pm to 6am to allow engineers to drill under the road.

One lane of the Maidstone-bound carriageway will be closed on Wednesday (November 30) for a week.

Two of the three Medway-bound lanes near the Chatham Road slip road are already closed which have led to large traffic jams along Blue Bell Hill during rush hours.

The new closure will mean motorists will be sent on a 16-mile diversion via the A249 to Stockbury and then the M2 or A2 instead of the usual three-and-a-half miles.

The gas company is replacing 180m of old metal pipe with new plastic material.

A spokesman for SGN said: "We are making great progress with our emergency gas network upgrades at Blue Bell Hill.

"The work to replace our metallic gas main with modern plastic pipe, which is being carried out by our specialist contractors WCB, is progressing well.

"Our teams are working 24/7 to ensure we complete this project on schedule although at times they will not be visible on the main carriageway."

He added: "These restrictions have allowed us to replace a section of our gas main. However, the remainder of this project will present major engineering challenges."

The repair team, using specialist machines, must now complete a "highly complex" operation by drilling across and beneath all five lanes of the A229.

The spokesman said: "If this is successful, it will prevent a full southbound closure of the A229."

One lane of the Maidstone-bound carriageway will be closed after midnight and in the early hours of Wednesday. The two Medway-bound lanes will remain closed.

At 8pm on Thursday, December 1, there will be a full overnight closure of the whole of the Medway-bound carriageway until 6am.

The spokesman warned that if the operation failed, additional trenching may be needed which will "increase disruption." But if no other unexpected difficulties emerge, the whole of the A229 could be reopened on December 18, one week ahead of schedule.

He added: "We’d like to thank everyone impacted for your patience and understanding during these essential gas works. We recognise that roadworks can be frustrating. However, the new plastic pipe has a minimum lifespan of 80 years."

Chatham and Aylesford MP Tracey Crouch has already taken to Twitter warning residents about previous delays.

Diversion

When the Medway-bound A229 is closed at Blue Bell Hill, traffic will have to use the A249 to Stockbury and then the M2 or A2 to Medway. Seven additional variable warning signs are being installed to help guide motorists.