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More on KentOnline
Sheppey’s road system was plunged into chaos again this week when temporary work began on the Lower Road at Minster.
Workers started altering the junction of the A2500 and Barton Hill Drive this morning which immediately led to delays across the Island.
Tonight furious motorists trying to get home were queuing back to the top of the Sheppey Crossing.
Scroll down for video of KMTV special report
Islanders had endured delays all day as drivers tried to avoid temporary traffic lights and diverted through Sheerness and Halfway.
But both of those routes quickly became gridlocked, too.
The cause was the removal of plastic barriers and the central traffic island at the controversial junction with Barton Hill Drive.
They will be replaced with new kerbs road markings until a new £1.8 million roundabout is built next year to replace traffic lights.
Swale Cllr Cameron Beart (Halfway and Queenborough) said: "This will make a significant change to the road layout and prevent vehicles making illegal right turns out of Barton Hill Drive.
"It will allow the A2500 to flow straight and will include a small change to the timings of the traffic signals."
But Chris Newman fumed: "The road works and poor set of lights have gridlocked the Island.
"It took me 40 minutes to drive from Queenborough Corner to the Sheppey Community Hospital less than a mile away.
"The traffic on the Lower Road is backed up to the bridge approach.
"The road to Halfway is backed up beyond Morrisons supermarket as is the Brielle Way into Sheerness through Blue Town.
"The traffic from Halfway is backed beyond the Sheerness Golf Club turning at Sheerness East.
"I would have thought all repair work needs to be done at night or at least in the quiet time. Surely Kent County Council is aware of the difficulties on the Island?"
This evening Kent Highways tweeted a warning of delays.
It said: "Temporary traffic lights at the junction with Barton Hill Drive are causing delays back to the Sheppey Crossing. Please allow extra time for your journey."
Kent County Council's own website admitted the roadworks were causing backups across the Island.
It posted at 4.30pm: "Slow moving traffic on A249 Brielle Way heading towards Sheerness. Expect days (sic) and please allow estra time for your journey."
Many parents were also caught up in the delays this afternoon as they tried to pick their children up from school.
The changes should take just over a week to complete and will remain until the full replacement roundabout works are carried out next summer.
Within minutes the Sheerness Times Guardian Facebook page was awash with comments.
Among them was Robert Back who wrote: "Considering this particular section of road is so contentious, wouldn't it have been an idea for our clueless local authority to do the work at night?"
And Jane Pilling said: "Why start this in this weather as well right before Xmas? People have had a long journey into work this morning in bad conditions now come home to roadworks? Utterly ridiculous!"
But Swale Cllr Tina Booth tried to blame drivers for the chaos.
She Tweeted: "Drivers are ignoring temp lights and are driving through red this is making journeys longer than they need to be."
Highways officials said the traffic cleared at around 7.20pm, but motorists said they were still stuck in queues after 8.30pm.
Work on building the replacement roundabout is due to begin next summer - at the height of the holiday island's tourist season.
KCC bosses insist delays will be kept to a minimum.
