SGN replaces an old gas main from 16 November after repeated leaks. A rolling closure runs from Lower Twydall Lane to Riverside Country Park; the 3C diverts.

Part of Lower Rainham Road will close from Monday 16 November for about six weeks while SGN replaces an old gas main.

Medway Council said today the work follows multiple gas escapes in the area and several recent emergency repairs. The metal main will be replaced with plastic pipe.

Where the road will shut

The closure runs between the entrance to Riverside Country Park and the junction with Lower Twydall Lane. It is a rolling closure, so the shut section moves along as the work progresses.

SGN’s project page says this keeps the affected area as small as possible. It does not say how long any one stretch will be shut.

During the work:

  • vehicle access for residents is kept from either side of the closure
  • people on foot and on bikes can still get through
  • SGN staff will be on site to help residents as access points change

The diversion

SGN’s map marks a signed route that goes well inland, using:

  • Yokosuka Way
  • Beechings Way
  • Bloors Lane
  • London Road and High Street, on the A2
  • Station Road, back to Lower Rainham Road
SGN map showing the Lower Rainham Road closure just east of Lower Twydall Lane, with a green diversion along Yokosuka Way, Beechings Way, Bloors Lane, London Road, High Street and Station Road
The closure and signed diversion. Map: SGN

Buses

Service 3C will run through the A289 and Beechings Way into Rainham for the whole closure, the council says. Bus stops near the site will close temporarily, with notices at the stops.

The council’s release points to its roadworks pages for details of the diversions. We could not find the bus details there today. SGN advises passengers to check with their bus company.

When it should finish

The dates do not quite match, so allow for either.

  • SGN and the council say about six weeks from 16 November, which runs to around 28 December by our count.
  • The council’s traffic notice of 29 October gave Sunday 20 December as the end date, and said the council intends to make the order.

That notice also describes the stretch differently, as Lower Twydall Lane to 150 metres east of No. 331. It says the work is on an 18-inch medium pressure gas main.

What it means for you

If you drive between Gillingham and Rainham by the river, plan on the A2 or the A289 from 16 November. The closure takes in the run-up to Christmas.

If you are going to Riverside Country Park, check the signs on the day. Neither the council nor SGN has said in its notice how access to the park will work as the closure moves.

Other work nearby in November:

  • Lower Rainham Road between Nos 788 and 794 closes on 21 and 22 November for a water connection
  • Pump Lane closes nightly from 22 to 27 November, 9pm to 4am
  • the M2 between Junctions 3 and 4 shuts overnight on 21 and 22 November

All of it is on our Medway roadworks page, which we keep up to date.

You can sign up for email updates on SGN’s project page. If you smell gas, call the national gas emergency number on 0800 111 999.