A busy route is set to reopen as work progresses on a multi-million-pound scheme which saw two lanes closed almost a year ago.

Lane closures on both sides of the A249 at Grovehurst roundabout, between Iwade and Kemsley near Sittingbourne, will be lifted in time for Christmas.

Kent County Council contractors Jackson Civil Engineering will remove cones and barriers from the carriageways during two overnight closures starting this evening (December 18) at 8pm.

It will start with the Sheppey-bound carriageway which will reopen at 5am tomorrow (December 19).

Then the Maidstone-bound side of the road will shut from 8pm tomorrow (December 19) until 5am on Friday (December 20).

From that point, the road will be fully reopened, although evening road closures will be required later in the New Year.

Works on the slip roads and surrounding areas will continue as planned.

KCC’s cabinet member for highways and transport, Neil Baker, said: “In the summer we committed to taking off the traffic management in time for Christmas.

“This good news comes as the team prepares to progress to the next phase of the works, which will ultimately mean more reliable journey times for people in and around the area.

“I want to thank local people and businesses for their patience while we have worked hard to deliver this scheme.”

The news comes 11 months after the lanes were first closed in January so that a new bridge could be installed.

Those lanes were shut off after an earlier lane closure, which ran right over the Sheppey bridge, was brought in in October. That was supposed to last for a year but was eventually removed after a deluge of complaints from motorists stuck in lengthy queues.

Jackson Civil Engineering has been working on the £32.7 million improvement project since September last year.

However, the scheme to replace the existing dumbbell junction with a two-bridge flyover has been blighted by delays.

It was supposed to be finished this winter but it is now expected to be completed in May.

The work is part of a wider KCC scheme to future-proof the road network in the A249 corridor ahead of major housebuilding in the area.

This includes a £5.8 million revamp of the Key Street roundabout in Bobbing which will begin in January after delays as a result of a dormouse nest being discovered.

Jackson has been contracted to complete this work.