A three-month road closure predicted to bring traffic chaos has not been as bad as first feared - although businesses say they've still been bruised.

The A228 Frindsbury Hill shut in both directions from the Sans Pareil roundabout on March 11 and will not reopen until June 21.

It was thought the roadworks would lead to disruption but so far only some additional delays have been reported.

These were caused by additional unexpected roadworks, including emergency repairs on Frindsbury Road due to a gas leak and road repairs near the Whitewall Road roundabout.

Temporary traffic lights were necessary and caused some congestion for drivers coming on and off the Medway City Estate.

But while the scale of congestion hasn’t yet been quite as severe as was predicted businesses say they’ve still be impacted.

Adam Stone, manager of Denis Hills Quality Butchers in Frindsbury Hill, has noticed serious falls in customer numbers, saying the inconvenience is causing them to go elsewhere.

He said: “There’s been a steep decline in footfall - all the shops are feeling it.

“The fish and chip shop down the road has applied to the council to put up a sign at the bottom of the road saying ‘businesses open’ but the council have ignored the request and haven’t done anything about it.

“We’re gritting our teeth, hoping it will change, but if it carries on like this we’re not sure what’s going to happen.

And the butcher says he doesn't see the point in asking the council for help.

“What’s the point in contacting the council?” he added. “They’re not gonna respond. It’s a waste of my time and energy right now.”

Ben Chell, landlord of The Sans Pareil pub which is close to the construction site, said the first few days were chaotic.

However, since then he says things have calmed down and business appears to be as usual.

The publican said: “At the start, no-one knew where the roadworks were supposed to start from, not even the people doing them.

“It caused massive problems when deliveries came, so I had to go out there and tell them where they were supposed to close the road because I had the drawings.

“Now, it’s okay - two weeks in we’re at a happy medium. The first week everyone stayed away for two or three days, but now we’re business as usual.

“It’s not been too bad, and there’s no traffic on Frindsbury Hill - it’s a ghost town - so it’s easier to get to the pub than it’s ever been.”

But he also feared things could soon change again

He added: “We’re not too far in though, so after a month or six weeks, then we’ll really be able to tell how it’s affected us.”

Mr Shell also said the suggestions by some that one lane of the road be open to let traffic through was unfeasible, and the entire road needed to be closed for safety reasons.

He added that when there was the initial chaos of the roadworks he happened to bump into Medway Council leader Vince Maple and other councillors while out for a meal.

He brought up the problems and Cllr Maple said it was the responsibility of officers but gave Mr Shell his contact details, telling him to ring the next day and promised to discuss what could be done.

But Mr Shell says his call and voicemail message went unanswered and it was an officer in the complaints department who had been most helpful in actually resolving issues.

Similarly, he said the back and forth between Labour councillors and Tory MP for Rochester and Strood, Kelly Tolhurst, had meant the issue had been politicised.

He added: “They’re not bothered about this road at all, none of the politicians have helped us.

“It’s a political battle between the two of them, Labour and Tory, and no-one’s bothered about the residents and the businesses.”

The scheduled work for Frindsbury Hill is due to last another 13 weeks to allow an entrance to the new Maritime Academy to be built.

As part of mitigation for the road closure, the authority has proposed a diversion route through Wulfere Way, through Hasted Road, Gravesend Road, London Road, Gun Lane and then back to Frindsbury Road.

They also opened the Canal Road bus gate off Medway City Estate towards Strood to alleviate congestion.

Cllr Simon Curry (Lab) said prior to works starting “extensive work” had been carried out to help alleviate the impact of the road closure on traffic.

He added: “The road closure was unavoidable due to the importance of completing the new Maritime Academy on time, but it was also decided that a full closure with diversions, rather than a partial closure with temporary lights, was necessary in itself to keep traffic levels down and ease congestion.

“While mitigation measures to alleviate congestion have been successful, we are aware of the impact of the works on nearby businesses.

“I'd like to remind everyone that the businesses on Frindsbury Road and Frindsbury Hill are all open as usual and you can still park outside those where parking spaces are available and encourage local people to continue to support their local shops.”