Rushenden link road, Sheppey

The South East England Development Agency, known as SEEDA and whose role has now been taken over by the Homes & Communities Agency, is promoting further development and regeneration at Rushenden and Queenborough on the Isle of Sheppey.
The proposals involve substantial mixed use commercial and housing development, to provide new employment and homes as well as complement the existing development.
Access to the existing development through Queenborough is poor and a new link, the Relief Road, between the A249 and the existing and new development areas secured Homes and Community Agency and other government and private sector funding.
KCC has designed and delivered the Relief Road scheme for SEEDA (HCA).

The link road is 1.1km of part dual and part single new carriageway. It runs between the new roundabout at Neats Court, constructed as part of the A249 Swale Crossing scheme, and passes over the Sheerness – Sittingbourne railway connecting to a new junction on Rushenden Road. An intermediate roundabout serves Cullet Drive and other roundabouts will serve as new development accesses.

A construction contract was awarded to Birse Civil Engineering and work started on site in July 2009.

Scheme cost - £13m

For more information, please see the scheme plan (PDF, 1MB).

Current situation

The new Relief Road – known as Thomsett Way - was opened to traffic on 24 November 2011.