A dual carriageway off a major roundabout will be closed once again as part of ongoing works to upgrade a busy motorway junction.

The southbound carriageway of the A249 between Bobbing and Sittingbourne and the roundabouts will be closed overnight from 8pm on Monday (July 25) until 5am the next day.

On Tuesday, the A249 towards Maidstone will close between the roundabout and Oad Street from 8pm until 5am on Wednesday.

Access to Oad Street will remain open but temporary traffic lights will be in operation from 8am on Monday to 6pm on Friday to the north of the M2 bridge, which could cause delays to drivers.

The work is to allow temporary barriers to be installed to protect workers.

The road was also closed last weekend for barriers to be installed at the M2 coastbound exit at junction 5 for Maidstone, Sittingbourne and Sheppey.

It is all part of the ongoing plan to change the layout of the road to improve traffic flow.

The £92 million upgrade was approved in June 2021 and will see a flyover carriageway built above the roundabout to provide free-flowing traffic along the A249.

Slip roads are also being created with a left turn for traffic travelling southbound to the M2 westbound, and northbound to the M2 eastbound.

The junction has been described as one of the busiest in the region, with drivers experiencing long queues and heavy congestion on a daily basis, as well as it having one of the highest collision rates in England.

It is predicted that the changes will reduce collisions by around a third.

Work is expected to start in September and preparation groundworks started earlier this year.

It was due to be completed earlier this month but has been delayed due to bridge repair work on the M2.

A spokesman for National Highways said: "We know there’s never a good time to close a busy road like the A249, and we’d like to thank everyone for their patience while we’ve been carrying our improvement work.

"The M2 junction 5/A249 Stockbury Roundabout cannot cope with existing traffic flows.

"The junction is also one of the top 50 national casualty locations on England’s major ‘A’ roads and motorways.

"One aim is to improve journey times. Our improvement scheme will reduce delays meaning people will have quicker and more reliable journeys.

"The scheme will improve the safety of the junction for all road users.

"The improvements will support economic growth as increasing capacity at the junction will support the future housing and employment growth in the area."