A249 Misery Set To Continue Until The Weekend

The current problems on the A249 Northbound, just before Sittingbourne at the Key Street Underpass, look set to continue until the weekend.

In a Statement issued by Southern Water this afternoon to 106.9 SFM they confirm that: "works to replace a burst main on the A249 will take around five days, with completion on Sunday 17th January.
Water supplies remain unaffected and we would like to reassure our customers that we have a contingency plan in place to ensure we can continue to supply water as usual. We appreciate this has an had an impact on road users and apologise for the inconvenience to their daily journeys. Our crews are working around the clock to fix the problem as quickly as possible and we would like to thank drivers for their patience while this vital work is carried out".

Southern Water's engineers are working to repair the burst main and this will include the installation of a replacement water mains. All of this work is being undertaken beneath the carriageway and is not visible to road users. Using specialist equipment they are directionally drilling under the road with excavation works being carried out in adjacent fields.

After these works have been carried out Southern Water have confirmed that they "must ensure the water supply is safe for public consumption by carrying out strict water quality sampling. This will take between one to two days, depending on the results of the tests. Once the work is complete Highways England will have to carry out an assessment of the structural integrity of the highway to ensure it is safe for road users".