It's been more than a year since work on revamping one of Kent's busiest motorway junctions was given the go-ahead.

As a new round of 10 weekend closures are announced, a series of new aerial photographs show the changes already taking shape along the A249 at Stockbury roundabout off junction 5 of the M2, as dinosaur-like diggers claw into the North Downs leaving huge white scars of chalk.

Video: Then and now

National Highways (formerly Highways England) is spending £92m installing the flyover to do away with daily queues which have blighted motorists travelling between Maidstone, Sittingbourne and the Isle of Sheppey.

Former Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps signed the project off last year and travellers have already had to endure road closures and diversions as water, gas and electricity supplies have been re-routed.

Currently, the A2 is under increased pressure as new slip roads for the motorway's coastbound carriageway are being built, closing off that side of the junction. Work is not expected to be finished until Friday, January 13.

A highways spokesman said: "We know there’s never a good time to complete this kind of work at a busy junction and understand these closures will cause disruption to journeys, for which we apologise."

He explained: "Closing the slip roads for a solid block of time not only keeps disruption to a minimum in the long run but it is also safer for drivers, our workers and everyone using the M2."

Drivers wanting to go to Faversham or Canterbury from Sittingbourne should take a 12-minute diversion by joining the London-bound carriageway to Gillingham (junction 4) where they can turn around and head towards the coast.

Many, however, are opting to use the already busy A2 and adding to congestion through Sittingbourne.

The town is still waiting for its long overdue north and south relief roads.

Those travelling from London hoping to exit at junction 5 should leave at junction 3 at Chatham and take the A229 and M20 towards Maidstone before joining the A249. That will add 15 minutes to the journey.

National Highways adds helpfully: "If you miss junction 3, you can travel to junction 6 (Faversham) and return to junction 5 using the westbound carriageway, which will add a further 25 minutes."

Recent work has included pile-driving to create retaining walls for the new slip roads. Seventy-five holes were drilled and filled to make a series of concrete columns.

Semi-circular tunnels are also being built beneath one of the new roads.

Preparation work began in September with the removal of trees and shrubs, relaying utility pipes and creating a "mini-town" of temporary cabins for on-site offices. One copse has been allowed to remain next to the coastbound carriageway.

A spokesman said: "They didn’t need to come down. Rather than fell them for the sake of it, we do try to minimise site clearance - and so the trees remained."

Meanwhile, the project is set to give the Isle of Sheppey a boost - literally.

Soil excavated for the junction works is being used to raise part of Rushenden by around two metres to help protect homes being built there from flooding.

Oad Street between the A249 and Woodgate Lane remains closed until Monday, October 10, to complete widening work. A diversion uses Key Street roundabout, the A2 and Borden Lane.

A new series of A429 weekend closures for drainage work during October and November between Bobbing and Stockbury was announced on Thursday.

A spokesman said: "We know having additional closures while the slip roads are shut is not ideal but we need to do this work to move onto the next phase of construction to keep our project on track. We’ll be working 24 hours a day to allow us to carry out as much work as possible during the closures."

The A249 southbound carriageway towards Maidstone will be closed from 8am Fridays to 5am Mondays on the weekends of October 7, 14, 21 and November 4 and 11. Diversions will be along the Sheppey Way, Chestnut Street and Maidstone Road.

The northbound carriageway towards Sheppey will be closed on the weekends of November 18 and 25 and December 2, 9 and 16.

If you have questions, email here or call 0300 123 5000 or view updates at the website here.

Junction Diary

October 2019: Department for Transport announces a Public Inquiry and publishes its Statement of Case.

April 2020: Original date for Public Inquiry postponed. New designs published.

November 2020: Public Inquiry (virtual) launched.

January 2021: Public Inquiry completed.

June 2021: Public Inquiry decision announced by the Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps.

September 2021: Site preparation begins.

January 2022: Major construction work starts.

May 2022: Piling for retaining walls for new slip roads.

2025: Proposed finish date.