Medway roadworks now: the A2 Rainham junction scheme runs to autumn 2026, August resurfacing dates, the Medway Tunnel closure pattern and the live map.

Five towns, one river, three ways across it and a single A2 threading the lot together: when something is dug up in Medway, everybody feels it. This page covers the two things you actually need: what is being worked on right now, and the standing facts, the live map, the tunnel closure pattern and the key routes, that stay useful all year. Every date and closure here comes from Medway Council’s own pages, linked so you can check the latest before you set off.

Where to check live roadworks

Medway Council publishes its live works through one.network, the national roadworks map. The quickest route is the council’s own roadworks in Medway page, which embeds the map; registering free on one.network shows the full description of each job. Day-to-day incidents and emergency closures are posted by the council’s highways team on X at @MedwayHighways.

Worth knowing: most holes in Medway’s roads are not the council’s. Utility companies, gas, electricity, water, telecoms, dig under permits from the New Roads and Street Works Act, which is why a road can be resurfaced one month and opened up again the next.

The big one right now: the A2 junction works in Rainham

The scheme to plan around this autumn is at the A2 High Street and Mierscourt Road junction in Rainham. Work started on 22 July 2026 and is expected to take about ten weeks, delivering a new right-turn lane into Mierscourt Road, upgraded crossings, block-paved footways, new lighting and trees (Medway Council, 13 July 2026).

While it runs:

  • Mierscourt Road is fully closed between the A2 and Longford Close until the end of August 2026.
  • The A2 itself stays open under two-way temporary lights, with some overnight westbound closures between Ivy Street and High Dewar Road for resurfacing.
  • In September the new traffic signals go in under restricted working hours, 9.30am to 2.30pm, to keep the peaks moving.
  • Buses 130, 132 and 783 are diverted; the 326, 327 and 3A/3C still serve the A2 stops.

If Rainham High Street is your daily run, allow extra time through the summer holidays and expect the junction itself to be the pinch point into early autumn.

August 2026 resurfacing dates

The council’s resurfacing programme lists these short local closures for August:

  • Fenn Street and Ratcliffe Highway, St Mary Hoo: from 10 August, two days
  • Maidstone Road, Rochester: 11 August, two days
  • City Way, Rochester: 11 August, one day, run consecutively with Maidstone Road
  • Station Road, Cliffe: 12 August, two days
  • York Avenue, Gillingham: 13 August, two days
  • James Street, Gillingham: postponed from 30 May, new date to be announced

Smaller schemes, new crossings on Elm Avenue, Blue Boar Lane and at Weeds Wood among them, are listed on the council’s roadwork schemes page.

The Medway Tunnel: how the closures work

The Medway Tunnel carries the A289 under the river between Strood and Chatham, and it is the council’s to run: opened in 1996, it was the first immersed-tube road tunnel built in England.

The maintenance pattern is regular enough to plan around. The tunnel closes for three nights roughly every three months, usually early in March, June, September and December, with restrictions from 8pm to 6am. Dates can shift, and they are signed in advance on the approach roads and motorway message signs, and listed on the council’s roadworks pages. When the tunnel is shut overnight, cross-river traffic falls back on Rochester Bridge or the M2, so a late-night trip between Gillingham and Strood is worth checking first. The council has also applied to the Department for Transport for funding for a long-term tunnel renewal programme covering its electrical, ventilation and operational systems; a decision is pending.

The key routes, and what feeds what

Schematic diagram of Medway's key roads: the A2 running through Strood, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham and Rainham, the M2 to the south, the A228 to Hoo and the Isle of Grain, the A289 through the Medway Tunnel, the A229 to Maidstone and the A278 link to the M2
How Medway's main roads fit together. Diagram by Medway Live; schematic, not to scale.
  • The A2 is the spine, the old London Road running through Strood, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham and Rainham. When it clogs, the towns clog.
  • The M2 runs south of the towns and takes the through traffic; its Junction 5 upgrade at Stockbury, including the flyover carrying the A249 over the roundabout, was completed in February 2025, so there are currently no major National Highways works on the M2 or A2 around Medway.
  • The A228 is the Hoo Peninsula’s one real road, from Strood out through Chattenden and Hoo St Werburgh to the Isle of Grain, and south to Cuxton for the M20.
  • The A229 climbs Blue Bell Hill from Star Hill in Rochester to Maidstone and the M20, the main link south.
  • The A278 is the three-mile dual carriageway tying Gillingham and Hempstead Valley to the M2 at Junction 4.
  • The A289 links Strood to Gillingham through the Medway Tunnel, the northern bypass of the whole conurbation.

Further ahead, the Lower Thames Crossing, the new tunnel under the Thames connecting Kent and Essex, will join the A2/M2 corridor west of Medway and is the biggest change coming to the area’s road network; tunnelling machinery was being procured in summer 2026.

No park and ride, so here is the honest alternative

Medway has no park and ride; the council’s travel pages list none, and the former Rochester park and ride site was disposed of years ago. If you are heading into a town centre, the realistic options are the council’s car parks, covered street by street in our parking in Medway guide, or the bus.

Buses are run by several operators, with Arriva’s Kent and Medway network the biggest, alongside Chalkwell, Nu-Venture, ASD and others; routes and live departure information are linked from the council’s bus services page, and most town routes pass through Chatham Waterfront bus station. The national £3 single fare cap applies on most services. And for anything London-bound, the train beats the A2 every time: our Medway trains to London page has the times, fares and the high-speed option.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I see current roadworks in Medway? On the council’s roadworks in Medway page, which embeds the live one.network map, or at one.network directly. Emergency closures are posted on X by @MedwayHighways.

How long are the Rainham A2 junction works on? About ten weeks from 22 July 2026, so into early autumn. Mierscourt Road is closed at the A2 end until the end of August, and September’s signal installation runs under restricted daytime hours (Medway Council).

When does the Medway Tunnel close? For planned maintenance, usually three nights every three months, early in March, June, September and December, 8pm to 6am, with dates signed in advance and listed on the council’s roadworks pages.

Is there a park and ride in Medway? No. The council’s travel pages list no park and ride service. Use the town car parks (see parking in Medway) or the bus network.

Sources

Planning a trip into the towns? Start with where to park, and if you are leaving the car at home, the trains to London. More Medway information is on the Medway Live home page.

Works dates are the council’s published schedule as of early August 2026 and can move; check the live map before you travel. Last updated August 2026.