Motorists fear months of misery during a 12-week rebuild of a stretch of the New Thanet Way.

A contraflow system is already in place along the A299 at Whitstable ahead of work starting on Monday, with its introduction already causing a “nightmare” for drivers.

Delays of up to 45 minutes to navigate the restrictions have been reported this week, with one woman describing it as “absolute carnage”.

Kent County Council has confirmed a 40mph limit will be in place throughout the £4.4 million project, with average speed checks taking place.

The reconstruction work is due to start on Monday and is expected to last until July 12.

What are they actually doing and why?

The coastbound side of the road between the Whitstable turn-off and Chestfield Tunnel is being completely reconstructed.

Workers will dig the carriageway up to a significant depth and rebuild it with a much stronger construction, using specialist geotextile materials, different sized aggregates and multiple layers of asphalt.

The work is necessary as hot summers and wet winters have caused the ground beneath the road to expand and contract, leaving the surface bumpy and dangerous.

The project is seen as a more long-term solution to the issue, with only temporary repairs having taken place in recent years.

How will I be impacted if I use that road?

A contraflow system was introduced this week, meaning for a stretch of the road vehicles will travel in both directions on the Londonbound side.

Traffic heading from Thanet and Herne Bay towards Brenley Corner will be reduced to one lane between the Chestfield Tunnel and Dargate Services.

Motorists travelling in the opposite direction will join the contraflow at Dargate, steering them into a single lane on the Londonbound side until the Chestfield Tunnel, where they will rejoin the coastbound carriageway.

Drivers heading coastbound have the option to continue past Dartgate Services but have to come off the A299 at Whitstable.

How is the contraflow causing long queues?

Traffic in both directions is slowing to a crawl ahead of the point at which two lanes are reduced to one.

On the approach to the contraflow the speed limit drops first to 50mph and then 40mph, with average speed checks in place.

It appears vehicles are moving smoothly through the contraflow itself, although there are typically fewer cars on the road during rush-hour when schools are closed for the holidays.

Monday will provide some idea of how bad it will be for the next three months.

Why are there 40mph limits and when did the average speed checks start?

KCC says the reduced limit is in place “for the protection of everyone on the road”, confirming that “any cameras installed for this project have been active since the establishment of the lane closures”.

It added that the 40mph limits were in place on both sides of the A299 ahead of the contraflow being introduced as parts of the central reservation had been removed to allow for its introduction.

What diversion routes are in place?

None. KCC says the contraflow is not designed to be diverted around, as it would force more vehicles onto surrounding roads that cannot cope with the level of traffic.

However, some coastbound drivers have chosen to come off at Faversham and drive through Graveney and Seasalter.

Many of those heading Londonbound towards the A251 to travel to Ashford are also choosing to go through Canterbury and along the A28 instead.

How has the work been received so far?

No one likes traffic, but many motorists are peeved about more works on this stretch of the Thanet Way following an extensive project at the Chestfield Tunnel last year that also required a contraflow.

Brian Austin, from Herne Bay, told KentOnline: “It just seems crazy to me that we always seem to suffer in this area and it always seems to be done at this time of year as well when local businesses could really do with trade coming down.

“It's almost like someone's got a vendetta against this part of the coast, this part of Kent.”

On Facebook, Shelley Castle describing travelling along the road as “criminal”, while Rosalind Drewitt called it “absolute carnage”, adding: “I'm convinced the planners sit in their office and see how difficult they can make life for us.”

Others say motorists can’t have it both ways, with Faversham resident Lorna Chapman posting: “You all moan about the state of the roads and you all moan when they try to fix them.”

Was there an alternative to the contraflow?

KCC says it looked at the option of completely closing the New Thanet Way and diverting the traffic along the Old Thanet Way through Whitstable and Herne Bay.

But after “feedback from the community” and local county councillors, it was felt the impact on motorists would have been greater than the contraflow, so the idea was ditched.

Could the work not have been carried out at the same time as the Chestfield Tunnel works last year?

KCC has explained why this wasn’t possible.

A spokesman said: “The Chestfield Tunnel works only required a contraflow for a short distance, as existing and useable crossover points were already positioned either side of the tunnel.

“In preparation for these reconstruction works, it was necessary to upgrade a crossover positioned close to the Dargate services.

“This crossover had been installed within the original construction of the A299 Thanet Way – which is why streetlight columns were in the verges instead of central reservation - but considerable works were required to bring it into a condition suitable for this project.

“In addition, to account for the preparation works and emergency diversion routes, there was significant planning required in order to obtain road space on the network and to create the extensive traffic management plans.”

How will emergency vehicles navigate the contraflow during 999 calls?

KCC says it has engaged with emergency services during the planning of the project to make sure they’re aware.

A spokesman added: “They are used to dealing with the fact that traffic management arrangements occur across the network and they plan accordingly.”

Who’s paying for the road to be reconstructed?

Taxpayers, obviously, but the lion’s share is coming from the Department for Transport, which has contributed £4 million to the project.

KCC has chipped in £420,000 from its own road maintenance budget

How long will the contraflow be in place?

The expectation is July 12, with a further eight days of overnight closures afterwards to allow for it to be removed.

It means normal service should be resumed on July 21, barring no hiccups.

Will we notice a difference?

KCC’s cabinet member for highways and transport, Neil Baker, believes so.

“These extensive reconstruction works are essential if we are to continue to keep this road safe, and to minimise future disruption,” he said.

“We realise some will be inconvenienced by this planned maintenance, but we have worked hard to come up with a way of doing this that minimises disruption to the travelling public as much as possible.

“Once this essential maintenance is completed we are confident there will be a noticeable difference in the quality of the surface, which I know will be welcomed by all road users.”