M2 motorway

The M2 is a 40-kilometre motorway in Kent that runs between Medway, Sittingbourne, and Faversham. It links London and North Kent to the Isle of Sheppey and crosses the River Medway. Seven junctions connect the motorway to local and regional routes, and it joins the A2 at both ends. At its eastern end the M2 becomes the A299 towards Ramsgate. The route was originally planned as the A2(M) before becoming the M2 in 1959. The motorway opened in stages between 1963 and 1965. The Medway Viaduct, a 17-span structure, cost £2.5 million to build and was opened by Ernest Marples in 1963. Later widening added capacity, turning four lanes into eight between junctions 1 and 3. A parallel bridge doubled the viaduct’s capacity, and junction 5 was remodelled between 2021 and 2025 at a cost of £100 million. Traffic on the M2 has faced challenges over the years. A coach crash near Faversham in 1993 killed ten people and led to a speed limiter being blamed. In 2014 a sinkhole closed part of the motorway for nine days. Today the widened motorway carries thousands of vehicles daily, linking Kent’s towns and ports.