The much talked about roadworks, designed to improve Maidstone's gyratory system, begin this morning.

The Maidstone bridges improvement scheme starts at 9.30am and will not be completed until at least November.

The £5.7m project will see two new lanes created to enable drivers using the A229 toward Blue Bell Hill and Chatham to avoid the bridge system.

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Phase 1, the first six weeks, will involve electrical works, including temporarily moving streetlights and traffic lights and working on the substation in the middle of the gyratory.

It will also see traffic islands removed and the subways blocked as well as the widening of Fairmeadow.

Lane closures will be in place throughout the works but drivers will still be able to travel around the one-way system.

VIDEO: Reporter Ali Iverson is keeping an eye on the traffic for the first day of major roadworks in Maidstone

The idea of the works is to ease congestion in the town centre with council bosses hoping the new road layout will shave 74 seconds off journey times along the A20 Broadway and A229 Bishops Way.

Kent County Council said employees will be working 12-hour shifts from Monday to Sunday with some overnight work taking place.

But there will be no work Monday to Friday between 7.30am and 9.30am and 4pm to 6pm to avoid clogging up the roads even more during rush hour.

There will also be no work on Friday or Saturday evenings.

The work will stop in mid November and continue in mid January if it is not completed by then.

Last month KCC project manager Russell Boorman assured Maidstone businesses disruption would be kept to a minimum.

Listen to kmfm on 105.6 FM (for Maidstone) for travel updates.