A bus lane, branded a money maker for a council, will be open to drivers during three-months of roadworks.

The A228 Frindsbury Hill in Strood will be shut in both directions from the Sans Pareil roundabout from March 11 to June 2.

It is to allow for works to be carried out at the entrance of the Maritime Academy – a new 1,150-place secondary school.

Work will also take place to widen the existing carriageway, create a new slip road into the school, upgrade a pedestrian crossing and traffic signals and the road and footpaths will also be resurfaced.

KentOnline has spoken to the owners of a dog groomers, a butchers and a hair salon in the area who fear their firms could collapse as a result of the 15 weeks of road closures.

Today, the council has confirmed the bus route in Canal Road will be used to help those leaving Medway City Estate.

In January, Kentonline reported how more than 3,000 drivers have previously been handed penalties for driving down the restricted section of Canal Road.

As part of the works, traffic will still be able to travel around the Sans Pareil roundabout, as well as on both carriageways on Berwick Way and Wulfere Way.

Cllr Simon Curry, Medway Council’s portfolio holder for climate change and strategic regeneration, said: “This is a Department for Education (DfE) organised and funded project, and unfortunately, in this case, a full road closure is the only option left to us by the DfE if the new Maritime Academy School is to open on time.

“The school is essential if we are to keep providing the best education facilities, with adequate capacity, for children in the area.

“A complete closure of a main road is always a last resort and we apologise for the impact on the whole community and all those who use this route for work, school and to access the peninsula.

“When we became aware of the impact the project would have on our residents, we arranged for the duration to be reduced by four weeks. We have also written to the DfE to request that the duration of the project is reduced even further.

“We recognise the frustration that is felt by local people but this is a complex project involving many different streams of work and it is better to do this all at once rather than in a piecemeal way. We will continue to work with residents and businesses to mitigate the impact of construction, and we are liaising regularly with contractors to ensure construction time is kept to a minimum.”

Cllr Curry added: “We are conscious of the impact this closure will have on residents and commuters, and to avoid longer closures than necessary we have imposed roadwork restrictions before the closure; this means no other planned roadworks, including by utility companies, can take place in the Frindsbury area until 11 March.”

A planned diversion will take motorists along Wulfere Way, through Hasted Road, Gravesend Road, London Road, Gun Lane and then back to Frindsbury Road.