The Senior Assistant Project Manager gave a verbal update and highlights included:

Grovehurst Road junction

·         Officers continued to work closely with Jacksons, the main contractor to ensure there was a clear and robust programme to completion;

·         remaining works were final surfacing which included road markings, detector loops and high friction surfacing on the approach to the traffic signals;

·         traffic signals, crash barriers and landscaping were also being installed;

·         it was hoped that all the surfacing would be completed before Christmas, but this was dependent on weather conditions;

·         completion of the main works would be by the end of January 2026;

·         further BT works for new cables and removal of old ones would be completed in the new year;

·         officers were waiting for a programme of works from BT and it was hoped that any disruption from their works would be minimal;

·         landscaping works would be ongoing throughout February and March 2026 and this should cause minimal disruption;

·         once the completed junction was finished, it would provide some increased capacity on the road network; and

·         the scheme supported the delivery of the Swale Local Plan and the requirements of Homes England funding to support the delivery of new housing.

Key Street

·         The scheme was being delivered in small stages to reduce the amount of traffic management;

·         works were progressing well;

·         the new southbound entry slip road opened on 5 December 2025;

·         works were currently being carried out overnight on Keycol Hill for the new pedestrian crossing and this would be completed by the end of 9 December 2025;

·         there would be a series of overnight closures to minimise disruption in the New Year for surfacing works;

·         details of the closures would be communicated to stakeholders; and

·         it was hoped that completion of all the works would be by the end of February 2026, subject to weather conditions.

The Senior Assistant Project Manager added that the contractor provided regular traffic management updates and newsletters for both schemes.  She invited people to contact her so that they could be included on the mailing list.

The Chair invited Members to make comments, and these included:

·         The Grovehurst Road junction improvements had been going on for far too long;

·         the works impacted traffic within Sittingbourne, seriously delaying road users and impacting businesses;

·         the contractor should take responsibility and there should be penalties for not completing the works on time;

·         considered the layout of the Grovehurst Road improvements to be very confusing;

·         the lighting was poor and this needed to be good, especially as the road layout/directions had changed;

·         there was a lack of signage;

·         residents had suffered with the extreme noise from the plates at Key Street; and

·         had understood that the Key Street works should not have commenced until the Grovehurst Road works had been completed.

In response, the Senior Assistant Project Manager said that the works had not been planned to have been carried out concurrently.  The start of the works at Key Street were delayed due to the works at M2 Junction 5, but the funding needed to be spent, and so there was an overlap.  She confirmed that she would let the contractors know about the comments received regarding the Grovehurst Road junction at night.  The plates at Key Street had been necessary in order to keep the road open.  In terms of the possible penalties for the contractor, these would not be known until the project had been completed.

In response to comments about penalty charges, including whether local businesses could claim, the Senior Major Capital Programme Manager confirmed that the works would needed to be completed prior to any claim and he said that local businesses would not be able to apply for compensation.  Once details of the final impact of the delayed scheme were known, the due mechanisms would be put in place and agreements looked at, prior to any compensation being granted.

The Chair said he would write a letter to the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation to request that any compensation be utilised for the benefit of Sittingbourne and the Isle of Sheppey.

Resolved:

(1)      That the report be noted and the Chair writes to the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation as minuted above.