Repairs and bad weather cause delays
Drivers have faced road closures on a key route and town centre delays caused by gridlock and flooding.
Parts of Detling Hill were closed to allow essential works to repair two damaged drain covers.
It started with a closure on Wednesday of the left-hand lane, between the Shell petrol station and Pilgrims Way, heading towards Maidstone and junction 7 of the M20.
Yesterday (Thursday) night the entire carriageway was due to be shut and one lane was due to remain closed in the morning.
A Kent County Council spokesman said: “To make permanent repairs there will be a full closure of Detling Hill Maidstone-bound on Thursday for one night from 8pm to 4am.
“This will allow us to take the covers up and install them using rapid-set mortar.
“We appreciate this will cause disruption for drivers and we apologise for any delays.”
On Wednesday, Maidstone became gridlocked after flooding and a crash on the M20.
A four-vehicle pile-up at 7.25am on the London-bound carriageway, between junction 3 for Borough Green and the M26 and junction 1 for Swanley, caused delays.
No one was injured but the gyratory, the A249, Tonbridge Road and the A229 on both sides of the town were severely congested as well as the motorway.
Heavy overnight downpours and in the morning caused flooding, some of the worst being on Broadway outside Matalan.