From Roader's Digest: The SABRE Wiki
Route
A long standing route of importance, the A229 runs through the middle of Kent, and changes from a very important motorway link to a winding rural road.
Section 1:Rochester - Maidstone
The first section starts at a junction with the
A2 in Rochester, just up the hill from the High Street. It then runs along City Way, meeting various bits of 30s Medway Town suburbia. The
A230 joins in from the left at Horsted, and after the next roundabout, the road widens out to dual carriageway, though still very much urban at this point. There's then a flyover with the
B2097 from central Rochester, and the road splits off its original alignment and starts to turn into a major primary route as it crosses the link road to the
M2. The 40mph limit then finally gives way to NSL, and you can really put your foot down and enjoy the descent down Blue Bell Hill.
A229 descending Blue Bell Hill
At the bottom of the hill is the
M20, at which point the road becomes urban dual carriageway again as it hugs the east bank of the River Medway into Maidstone, until meeting the
A20 and
A26 from the west over the Medway bridge, where the dual carriageway ends. From here, the road is mostly single carriageway and less dominated by bypasses.
Section 2:Maidstone - Hurst Green
The A229 is the dominant road through the one way system in Maidstone, running around the south of the town centre, to end up on Loose Road heading south once more, as it passes through numerous garages, supermarkets and housing estates. The A274 forks off to the left towards Headcorn, while we head through Loose proper. The B2163 is met at a set of traffic lights, and we finally taste the Kent countryside heading towards Staplehurst.
Once there, the A229 heads over the railway bridge past the station and runs on a reasonably straight route through the middle of town. Out the other side, it's back into countryside, where the picturesque A262 is met en route from Biddenden to Goudhurst. Past this, there's a TOTSO to bypass Cranbrook (the original route through the town is straight on), as the road winds around plenty of semi rural houses. Finally, there's a climb up the hill right into the centre of Hawkhurst, where the A268 crosses at a very busy set of lights, causing frequent jams.
Just beyond Hawkhurst, the current route of the A229 suddenly swings to the right to run on the former A265 to avoid crossing into East Sussex, instead meeting the A21 at Hurst Green for a quicker run down to Hastings. The old route, meanwhile, remains a nice fast drive to Cripp's Corner and Sedlescome, before meeting up with the A21 again.
Original Author(s): Tom Sutch
History
The A229 fomerly ran from Hawkhurst via Sedlescombe to Baldslow. The A21 took over the latter part of this route in the 40s, while the remainder was downgraded in the mid 1990's.
Photos
Links
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