A2

This article is about the A2 in England.
For the coast road in Northern Ireland, see A2 (Northern Ireland).

Route

This is the A2 at Ebbsfleet

Main Article: A2 route

The A2 has always been a busy road. Going from London to Dover, it largely follows the historic Watling Street from London to Dover via Canterbury, although it has had many upgrades over the years. Some sections are now D4M while one, the M2 now makes a section of the A2 non-primary.

The London-Canterbury-Dover trunk road, created in 1946, followed the A2 throughout its length. The A20 had been trunk since 1936.

History

The A2 at Ospringe, just south west of Faverham in 1969

Main Article: A2 history

The A2 has had a vast array of improvements since Classification. It is believed that the A2 had the earliest renumbering due to a building of a new road, in this case the First Dartford Bypass. There have been many more than that though since this is the road to the channel ports.

Notable locations and improvements

First and Second Dartford Bypasses

This is the A2 at Leyton Cross, just east of the Dartford Heath Interchange

Main Article: Dartford Bypasses

The A2 has had two Bypasses of Dartford. The First got so busy, the D3M second Bypass was built to replace it.

Park Pale Interchange

This is the A2 at the Pale Vale where the M2 begins

Main Article: Park Pale Interchange

The Park Pale Interchange was infamous for being the point where The A2 was a higher standard than the M2. Now it noted for its complex design.

Brenley Corner Interchange

The current layout of the junction.

Main Article: Brenley Corner Interchange

Brenley Corner is where the A2 becomes primary again after going though the Medway Towns. This is the point where the A2 once again takes over the trunk traffic from the M2.

Opening Dates

Year	Section	Notes
1924	Dartford Bypass	Princes Road. The first Dartford Bypass was opened by Edward Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) on 19 November 1924. S2 / D2. Superceded by Second Bypass in 1971. Renumbered B2174 / A225 / A296.
1924	Dartford to Strood (Watling Street upgrade)	The 11.75 mile Arterial road was opened by Edward Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) on 19 November 1924, the same day as the Dartford Bypass. The two schemes cost £1.12million. Work started in late 1921 and was an unemployment relief scheme for London County. The 100 foot wide road had a 40 foot carriageway with 22 foot footpaths and 8 foot verges on either side. Maximum gradient was 1 in 25. It replaced the route of the present A226 as part of the London - Rochester trunk route. Online upgrade of Watling Street, earlier maps show it as either a minor road or completely missing (e.g. around Swanscombe Park). Included Singlewell Bypass.
1928	Bexleyheath Bypass	Rochester Way. The 5.7 mile road from Shooters Hill Bypass (still under construction), at Oxleas Wood, to Shepherd's Lane (for the Dartford Bypass) opened on 2 July 1928. Work had commenced in 1924 and contract cost was £381,000. Normal width was 80 feet. At the London end traffic had to use Welling Way to access the A2 westbound until the Shooters Hill Bypass was completed. Some sections have become unclassified following later upgrades.
1929	Shooters Hill Bypass	Rochester Way from Sun in the Sands (Shooters Hill Road) to the Bexleyheath Bypass at Oxleas Wood. There was a report of an accident on the road in July 1929. It had been reported as under construction when the Bexleyheath Bypass opened on 2 July 1928. It may have opened in 1928. It became unclassified following the opening of the Rochester Way Relief Road in 1988.
1963	Canterbury: Rheims Way	Summer Hill, Harbledown to Mincheap Roundabout, Castle Street. The Maidstone Telegraph reported on Friday 7 June 1963 that the eastbound carriageway had been opened on Friday and that the westbound carriageway would open on Saturday next week. 0.8 mile dual carriageway, described as Canterbury Bypass. Later renumbered A2050 and A290.
1963	Sittingbourne: St. Michael's Way	Berry Street to Shortlands Road. The final surfacing of the relief road was completed on 19 July 1963. East Kent Gazette of 10 October 1963 reported that the road had been open. Initially unclassified.
1966	Swanscombe Park – M2 Park Pale Dualling	The 7 mile online dualling westwards from M2 was fully opened on 29 July 1966 by W. Simmons, Chairman of Kent County Council Roads Committee. Work had started to bring the road up to motorway standard with 36 foot D3 carriageways on 1 June 1964. New westbound carriageway and improved existing eastbound carriageway. Contractor was A. Monk and Co. Ltd. who joined in consortium with Leonard Fairclough Ltd., cost £5.5 million. Since rebuilt.
1969	Barham – Lydden Hill Dualling	Stage 1: 1 mile additional carriageway from Black Robin Lane to Barham Crossroads (new roundabout). Shown on July 1969 OS One inch map. Not on March 1969 OS Quarter inch map. A Maidstone Telegraph article of 25 September 1970 mentioned that work between Barham and Lydden Hill began in 1969.
1970	Canterbury Ring Road	Stage 2 was completed in June 1970 per Hansard of 28 June 1973. Contractor was Bowzell Group of Deal.
1970	Dunkirk – Harbledown Dualling	Stage 1: 0.5 mile eastwards from Gate Inn (current Dunkirk Interchange) to Denstead Lane. Provided in November 1970 per Hansard of 28 June 1973.
1970	Barham – Lydden Hill Dualling	Stage 2: Lydden Hill to just short of Swanton Lane. Dualled in July 1970 per Hansard of 28 June 1973.
1971	Barham – Lydden Hill Dualling	Stage 3: South from Ropershole Farm (south of Barham Roundabout) to Shelvin Lane. Dualled in April 1971 per Hansard of 28 June 1973. 0.8 mile.
1971	Dartford Bypass	Dartford Diversion (the second bypass): Rochester Way, Old Bexley Railway Bridge to Watling Street, Swanscombe cutting, east of Bean Interchange. The final length of the 6.5 mile dual carriageway was due to be officially opened on 28 May 1971 by William Simmons, Chairman of the County Council's Roads Committee. Expected cost £5.7 million.
1972	Barham – Lydden Hill Dualling	Stage 4: South from Oak Pollard to Lydden Hill. Dualled in early 1972 per Hansard of 28 June 1973. 0.5 mile.
1972	Barham – Lydden Hill Dualling	Stage 5: South from Shelvin Lane to Oak Pollard. Dualled in August 1972 per Hansard of 28 June 1973. 0.5 mile.
1969-72	Bexley Bypass Dualling	Rochester Way from Crown Woods Way to the River Cray (Dartford Bypass). Expected to be finished in March 1971 per Maidstone Telegraph of 25 September 1970. Shown on the July 1973 OS Route Planning map. A short section of advance works at the western end started in January 1967 and is shown on on the July 1970 edition (was not on September 1969 edition). Estimated cost £4.5 million.
1973	Dunkirk – Harbledown Dualling	Stage 2: 0.5 mile eastwards from Denstead Lane to Staines Farm (current Harbledown exit). Completed in May 1973 per Hansard of 28 June 1973. About 0.5 miles.
1973	Dover: York Street	Dual carriageway from Folkestone Road to Snargate Street. Completed in January 1973 per Hansard of 28 June 1973. Later renumbered A256.
1974	Barham – Lydden Hill Dualling	Stage 6: South from Barham Roundabout to Ropershole Farm. Opened on 24 September 1974 per the Land Compensation Act notice. Also re-alignment and improvement between Out Elmstead Lane and south-east of Geddings Lane, Oak Pollard.
1976	Barham – Lydden Hill Dualling	Stage 7: South from from Bishopsbourne Road to Black Robin Lane (south-east of Bridge). Opened on 14 June 1976 per the Land Compensation Act notice. This completed the 6.5 mile scheme from Barham – Lydden Hill.
1976	Boughton and Dunkirk Bypass	The 3 mile dual carriageway from Brenley Corner to the Gate Inn, Dunkirk was opened on 2 March 1976 by John Waite, Chairman of Kent County Council. Contractor was Mears, cost £3 million. This had doubled since the 1972 estimate and there would have been savings had it not gone to public enquiry.
1976	Bridge Bypass	The 2.1 mile D2 dual carriageway from near Bekesbourne Road to south-east of Coldharbour Road was opened on 29 June 1976 by John Gilbert, Transport Minister (it may have been the official opening since the Noise Insulation Regulations notice stated an opening of 30 June 1976). Also 1.25 mile upgrade to dual carriageway towards Barham. Contractor was Mears Construction Ltd., contract price £3.25 million, outturn works cost £3.6 million.
1976	Harbledown and Upper Harbledown Bypass	The 2.3 mile single carriageway road from 840 yards west of Plough Inn to Rheims Way was opened on 8 September 1976 by John Grugeon, leader of Kent County Council. Contractor was Mears Construction Ltd., outturn works cost £2.8 million. The section east of Harbledown Interchange became the A2050 after opening of the Canterbury Bypass in 1981.
1977	Dover Eastern Bypass	Jubilee Way. The 7.7 mile D2 / single carriageway road from Lydden Hill Junction to Eastern Docks Roundabout was opened on 18 February 1977 per the Land Compensation Act notice. Opened by Peter Rees, MP. It originally curled out over the sea from the dock entrance on a viaduct. Outturn works cost 8.42 million.
1978	Dunkirk – Harbledown Improvement	Westbound carriageway from Denstead Lane to the Gate Inn, west of the current Harbledown Interchange. Opened on 11 December 1978 per the Land Compensation Act notice. This must have been an improvement to the original dualling of 1970.
1981	Canterbury Bypass	The 4.6 mile D2 dual carriageway linking the Upper Harbledown and Bridge Bypasses opened on 9 October 1981. Outturn works cost £16.3 million.
1987	Barham Interchange	The Grade Separated Junction was opened on 2 June 1987 per the Land Compensation Act notice. Replacement of traffic signals at the B2006 and A260 junctions. The A2 works were from 300m north-west of Grand Castle Road to 500m south of Wick Lane. Included 4 new slip roads, a new roundabout junction and overbridge, with diversion of side roads.
1988	Rochester Way Relief Road	HQDC from Kidbrooke Interchange to Falconwood, closely following the railway. Completed in March 1988 per Hansard. Old Rochester Way was downgraded to an unclassified route as well as the A209 Welling Way following suit.
1992	London Boundary - M2	D3 dual carriageway upgrade over 14.6 miles was completed in November 1992 (per the Trunk Roads in England 1994 Review). Outturn total cost £11.9 million.
1997	Honeywood Interchange	New junction on the Dover Eastern Bypass with the A256 Whitfield Eastern Bypass which opened in 1997 (per Hansard of 22 October 2008).
1998	Park Pale Interchange rebuild	Replacement of the original fork junction at M2 J1 to accommodate the new A289 Wainscott Northern Bypass which opened on 14 December 1998. Works may have continued into 1999.
2004	Bean to Cobham: Phase 1	Online dual carriageway widening to D4 for 2.5 miles from Bean Interchange to Pepperhill Junction. Opened in December 2004 per the Phase 2 POPE Report.
2007	Darenth Interchange (M25 J2) to Bean	Online dual carriageway widening from D3 to D4 with hardshoulders for 1.6 miles. Also included Darenth Interchange upgrades of three free-flow links at between M25 / A282 and A2. Opened in December 2007 per the POPE Report.
2009	Bean to Cobham: Phase 2	Dual carriageway widening to D4 for 4.5 miles from Pepperhill Junction to Cobham Junction. Offline west of Singlewell junction with online widening eastwards. Tollgate Junction (A227) was rebuilt. Opened in February 2009 per the POPE Report Outturn cost for both phases was £118.8 million.
2011	Wincheap Interchange upgrade (Canterbury Bypass)	New London bound On-Slip for the A2/A28 Junction. Opened on 25 August 2011.

Videos

AEC Dump Trucks and Mercury Lorries - Eltham Relief Road

Taken back in 1986 we see AEC Mercury lorries at work on the construction of the A2 Rochester Way Eltham by-pass

Watch video > >

Links

National Highways

• Post Opening Project Evaluation - A2/A282 Dartford Improvement and M25 J1b-3 Widening - Five Years After  November 2015 (archive.org)

• Post Opening Project Evaluation - A2 Bean to Cobham (Phase 2) - Five Years After  October 2015 (archive.org)

Rainham (Kent) Southern Relief Road

• rainham-history.co.uk webpage  2023 (archive.org)

	This page was a candidate for Article of the Month October 2009