Rochester is one of the Medway Towns, lying on the east bank of the river. Owing to an administrative oversight, it has not been a city since 1998, and is therefore simply a town. The local council hopes that city status can be restored in time.
The town has been an important road crossing since Roman times, being part of the Roman Watling Street from London to Dover, and the Rochester Bridge has carried the A2 over the river since roads were classified. The M2 was one of the earliest bypasses to open in the country, and diverts through traffic away from the town and neighbouring Chatham and Gillingham. The A289 provides a second bypass, allowing traffic to reach Chatham Maritime via the Medway Tunnel, avoiding Rochester.
The other main roads through the town are the A228 to Tonbridge and the A229 to Maidstone, which run on opposite sides of the River. The A2 between Rochester and Chatham has been bypassed and now runs on a completely different alignment to its original 1922 listing.
The Medway Towns area is not a Primary Destination in its own right, but signs appear for Rochester from the surrounding area (eg: at junction 1 of the M2 and junction 4 of the M20 with the A228), while others use Chatham or Gillingham instead.
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