New photos of the A21 major improvement scheme have been released.

The pictures show recent progress on work to upgrade a 2.5 mille section of the A21 between Tonbridge and Pembury from single to dual carriageway.

The work will add a lane in each direction, upgrade junctions and improve the road layout.

It aims to make journeys on the A21 safer and more reliable and deliver a fivefold return on investment for the UK economy.

The images come at the same time as main construction work is set to begin.

A temporary 40mph speed limit will be introduced ahead of construction, with overnight carriageway closures in place on Sunday.

Advance work started in late 2014 and now the grade II listed buildings removal and ancient woodland translocation is nearing completion. The project is due to be completed by December 2016.

Anne-Marie Palmer, Highways England project manager said: “We are committed to providing the benefits of increased capacity, more reliable journeys and a safer route to the tens of thousands of drivers that use this stretch each day. We have been working hard behind the scenes getting ready for main construction and are still on target to complete the work by December 2016.

“We have been continuing the environmental advanced works to ensure that we carry out these improvements to the highest environmental standards. Grade II listed buildings on the line of the new road have now been substantially removed and the ancient woodland translocation is close to completion.

"We have removed an old barn to be preserved, translocated 9 hectares of ancient woodland to create 18 hectares and removed four grade II listed buildings on the line of the new road.

Balfour Beatty project manager Richard Turnbull added: “We have been undertaking various activities along the route. In addition to the environmental mitigation works mentioned above, we have also carried out archaeological investigation and utility diversions without the need for a temporary speed limit.

"As construction progresses, this will now be installed to protect drivers and our workforce. We ask drivers to respect the speed limit and the right turn bans whilst construction moves into this new and more obvious phase of the works.”