The A249 will be shut for two weeks longer than scheduled.

But part of Oad Street, between Woodgate Lane and the A249, near Sittingbourne, will now be open by tomorrow lunchtime following work to improve the Stockbury roundabout and the M2 Junction 5.

The road was originally set to reopen on June 5, however it was later planned to remain shut until 5am on Monday, June 20.

A spokesman for National Highways said: "We’ve almost completed our work on Oad Street and will be lifting our closure this weekend, ahead of schedule.

"We would like to thank everyone for their patience throughout this closure."

Oad Street will need to be closed once again in the Autumn, but advanced notice will be provided ahead of the re-closure.

The reopening comes as part of the dual carriageway is set to remains closed over the next few weekends - into July.

The Maidstone-bound A249 between Bobbing and the Stockbury Roundabout was set to be completely shut while drainage is installed until June 20.

It has now been extended until 5am on Monday, July 4.

A spokesman added: "Thank you for your patience as we continue to install drainage on the A249.

"Following on from this work, we’ll be installing some new barriers.

"In order to do this safely, we’ll be continuing our closures on the A249 between the Bobbing roundabout to north of the Stockbury roundabout into July.

"We know there’s never a good time to close a busy road like the A249, and we’ll be carrying out the work using a mix of lane closures and full closures to reduce the amount of time the road is fully closed."

For drivers wanting to head towards Maidstone from the Bobbing roundabout, there will be a diversion in place via Sheppey Way, Chestnut Street and Maidstone Road.

This will bring you to the Stockbury roundabout, where you can continue your journey.

However, due to a mix of lane closures drivers should visit the National Highways website here, to find out what closures are happening and what diversions are in place on what day.

These roadworks come as preparation work to install a flyover and new slip roads at the roundabout continues.

This will include the permanent closure of the direct slip-road from the A249 to the coastbound M2 – although traffic will still be able to access the coastbound M2 via the first exit on the roundabout.

If you have any questions about the scheme, on the second Wednesday of each month, a member of the National Highways team will be available between 10am and midday at Oad Street Food and Craft, Borden, to answer any queries.