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St Clements Way Greenhithe improvement scheme

This scheme was to increase the size and capacity of the St Clements Way/London Road roundabout and provide new bus lanes to reduce traffic congestion, particularly during peak times.

This project improved the capacity of the junction of the A226 London Road and A206/B255 St Clements Way to the north of Bluewater Shopping Centre.

The scheme included:

  • an enlarged St Clements Way/London Road roundabout to increase the capacity of the junction and improvements to the Crossways Boulevard roundabout
  • a new northbound bus lane between London Road roundabout and Steele Avenue and an additional traffic lane provided between Steele Avenue and the Crossways Boulevard roundabout
  • new traffic signals at the Steele Avenue junction which will include bus priority signals for the bus lane to allow buses to move across to the offside lane to access Greenhithe Station
  • an additional traffic lane on the southbound approach to the London Road roundabout
  • widening the existing footway along St Clements Way between London Road and Mounts Road and converting it to a shared footway/cycleway
  • upgraded existing pedestrian crossings with new efficient signal equipment
  • moving the westbound pedestrian crossing outside ASDA a short distance to improve visibility of the crossing
  • removal of the existing informal crossings of St Clements Way
  • noise fencing and enhancements to the existing landscaping.

Scheme plans

The A206 St Clements Way is located on the important A226 strategic route between Dartford and Gravesend, provides links to the A2 and Dartford Crossing, and access to Bluewater and Crossways business parks. St Clements Way also provides direct access to Greenhithe Station and forms a key link for the Fastrack bus service and other important bus services in the area.

Substantial new development has been built and is planned in the area and this will increase traffic flows and congestion.

This improvement scheme forms part of a wider package of improvements (including the A2 Bean junction) aimed at reducing congestion and catering for future growth and development in the Kent Thameside area.

The new bus lanes included in the scheme encourage the use of more sustainable modes of transport have improved journey time reliability and will assist the planned expansion of the Fastrack bus service.

Scheme objectives

The scheme objectives were to:

  • reduce traffic congestion
  • improve overall journey time reliability
  • improve existing bus journey times and assist the planned expansion of the Fastrack bus service
  • provide additional capacity for the junction to cater for increased traffic volumes.

Formal decision

The approval to progress the St Clements Way Greenhithe improvement scheme was taken by Kent County Council on 4 May 2016.

The decision by the SELEP Accountability Board to grant Local Growth Funding for the St Clements Way Greenhithe improvement scheme was made on the 18 November 2016.

Scheme value

The principle contractor for this scheme was Jackson Civil Engineering Ltd. Construction was completed on 31 March 2019 and the site is currently undergoing post scheme monitoring. The final cost of the project was £6.4m.

The funding secured by Kent County Council consisted of £4.2 million from the Local Growth Fund obtained from the South East Local Enterprise Partnership, and £2.2 million from developer contributions.

Funded by

The government Growth Deal provides money to the South East Local Enterprise Partnership, funding projects which drive Kent’s economic and business growth.