Works on a new £40 million carriageway which will serve thousands of drivers daily are due to begin on schedule, bosses have confirmed.

The Sturry Link Road has been the cause of division and uncertainty in Canterbury ever since it was originally approved in September 2021.

Supporters of the project have often claimed it is a key part of easing traffic woes in the city but critics have taken aim at the costs and methods involved – one dissenter called the proposals a "sledgehammer to crack a nut".

In a significant step for the project, VolkerFitzpatrick has been awarded a £34 million contract to design and build the 550-metre-long carriageway – which is being built on the A28.

And Kent County Council which is leading the project say it remains on course to break ground in April 2025 – with works being finished by December the following year.

A spokesperson for the local authority said: “We are pleased to have awarded a contract for the design of the Sturry Link Road.

“The new route will allow traffic to avoid the level crossing and support planned development.

“Our current ambition is that construction will take place between 2025 and 2026.”

The news of a construction firm being appointed will come as a great relief for those who had feared the project may never come to light.

Delays in the start of works – which had been pencilled in for the autumn of 2023 – left many wondering if the link road would ever come to life.

Former chairwoman of Sturry Parish Council Ann Davies said in May 2023 she had doubts the project would go ahead.

“Given the change in the colour of the council, the effects of Covid, inflation, the slight dropping in the housing market, I'd say it was very difficult to call at the moment,” said Mrs Davies.

“Certainty, one way or the other, is what is really needed.”

The “new strategic highway” is designed to remove the need for traffic on the A28 and A291 to cross the level crossing at Sturry near Canterbury – which sees the area grind to a halt multiple times an hour to let trains pass through.

Sturry Link Road will serve about 16,000 new homes to the east of the city while a 250-metre stretch of the road will be built over the Great Stour River, its flood plain and the Canterbury to Ramsgate railway line.

It is thought this section of the carriageway will be supported by a multi-span structure up to 42 metres in height.

Diversion routes are not yet in place due to the early nature of the project but it is likely traffic will be forced to use Tyler Hill and Shalloak Road at different stages of construction.

The new road would run alongside housing developments planned for the site of the former Greenfields Shooting Grounds, with a viaduct to take cars above both the River Stour and railway line.

This would emerge on Sturry Road, where a new roundabout will be built, just east of the park and ride site, which is due to reopen in April.

The Greenfields centre closed in late 2021 after permission was granted for more than 600 homes to be built on the site on Sturry Hill, with more than 400 more on adjoining land at Broad Oak.

VolkerFitzpatrick will also be tasked with delivering surface water storage ponds and carrying out environmental mitigation work on the site.

Deon Scholtz, the divisional director for infrastructure at the firm, said: "We are delighted to have been appointed by Kent Council Council to deliver the new Sturry Link Road.

“This project underscores our unwavering dedication to alleviating congestion and enhancing local infrastructure for the benefit of local communities.

“Our meticulous planning and steadfast commitment are laying the foundation for a more vibrant and connected future between Canterbury and Sturry."

The project will receive £5.9 million from the Local Growth Fund by South East Local Enterprise Partnership as well as developer contributions to the value of £34.3 million.

Of these, £30.8 million has been secured by section 106 agreements whilst the remainder has been committed through other section 106 agreements that can be reassigned to the Sturry Link Road.

Compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) to obtain land for the Sturry Link Road project were granted in summer 2023.