by Hayley Robinson

A milestone has been reached on the Sittingbourne Northern Relief Road.

The final steel beams of the bridge across Milton Creek are now in place, meaning work to lay the road surfacing can now begin.

The bridge is one of two being built on the 0.9-mile stretch of road which will connect the A249 with the Eurolink Industrial Estate, in Castle Road, Sittingbourne, via Ridham Avenue. The aim of the £30 million scheme is to ease traffic in the town centre.

The girders, made in 21m and 42m sections, were delivered to the site on low-loaders and then craned into place. Contractor Jackson Civil Engineering is carrying out the work on behalf of Kent County Council.

Construction of the road on either side of the structure is well under way, and it is hoped the road will be open to traffic by December.

Plans to complete the final section of the relief road have been put on hold after members of the Swale Joint Transportation Board recommended no further progress on the missing link until KCC comes forward with an alternative proposal to move traffic to the M2.

Four possible routes were identified for the link, from Milton Creek to the A2 at Bapchild. They were the northern route which would run parallel to the railway, the central route which would lead traffic out on to the A2 opposite Bapchild fruit stall, the western route which would take traffic through Stones Farm and out on to the A2 by Bapchild Cricket Club, and a combined route encompassing the central and western proposals.

Joint Transportation Board chairman county councillor Mike Whiting asked for a report to go before members in March due to the results of a three-month consultation carried out by KCC last year, which revealed a 50-50 split for and against.

The consultation was based on whether people were in favour of completing the final part, the need for bypassing Bapchild and to give residents the chance to see the four options.

KCC’s cabinet member for environment, highways and waste Bryan Sweetland will decide.