Wednesday 29th May 1963

The 997 metre long Medway viaduct carrying the M2 over the Medway Valley in Kent was opened by the them Minster of Transport, Rt. Hon. Ernest Marples MP. It originally had a six-lane (two London-bound, two coast-bound, two hard shoulder) formation. In addition, a footpath either side that doubled as a small service road for maintenance and pedestrians. These footpaths were part of the North Downs Way, offering panoramic views of the Medway Valley and beyond. During the M2 widening, the original bridge was refurbished and strengthened. The central span, which was made from concrete beams, was replaced with steel girders. The concrete beams were lowered down on to a river barge underneath. As part of the M2 widening, the original bridge had street lighting fitted to it for the first time. Completed in 2003, as part of the M2 widening project, the second motorway bridge was built south of the original bridge. The formation of the M2 motorway crossing was changed. The original bridge was changed to three coast-bound lanes, a hard-shoulder and both footpaths were reduced in size. The south facing footpath was closed, leaving only one path for pedestrians. The newer of the two bridges had the same formation, but changed to London-bound lanes. In 2003, the bridge won the Concrete Society’s Civil Engineering Category[2] award for, “outstanding merit in the use of concrete”. It was presented to Doka UK Formwork Technologies. A plaque can be seen on one of the upright support legs, on the Strood side.