Where to check Tonbridge roadworks today, the closures already dated across the borough, and who runs which road: National Highways has the A21, Kent the rest.

Most roadworks pages go stale in a fortnight. This one is built the other way round: first the places to check what is actually shut this morning, then the structural facts about Tonbridge and Malling’s roads that do not change, and only then the closures currently dated in the diary.

The single most useful thing to know is that no one authority runs the roads here. Get that right and you will look in the correct place first time.

Where to check what is shut today

  • One.Network is the national roadworks map and the one to start with. It carries county works, utility works and closures on the same map. one.network
  • Kent County Council is the highway authority for almost every road in the borough. Its roadworks pages carry the county’s own maintenance programme. kent.gov.uk roadworks
  • Kent Traffic Information is the county’s live incident and roadworks feed, with active and planned tables. kenttraffic.info
  • National Highways covers the A21, M20, M26 and M25 only. County listings do not include them. nationalhighways.co.uk/travel-updates
  • Statutory notices are where closures are legally announced, usually a fortnight ahead and often before they appear anywhere else. Search your street on the Public Notice Portal.

Who runs which road

This matters more than it sounds. If your journey is disrupted on the A21 and you report it to Kent County Council, or search the county map for M20 delays, you will find nothing, because those roads belong to National Highways.

The main road corridors through Tonbridge and Malling and who manages them Schematic diagram of the borough's road network. National Highways manages the A21 Tonbridge bypass running north-west to the M25 at junction 5 and south to Pembury and Hastings, plus the M20 across the north of the borough through junctions 4 and 5 and the M26 linking the M20 to the M25. Kent County Council manages everything else, including the A26 from Tonbridge north-east to Maidstone, the A227 from Tonbridge north through Borough Green to Gravesend, the A228 serving Kings Hill, West Malling and Snodland, the A20 through Larkfield and Aylesford, and the A25 through Borough Green and Wrotham. Two authorities, one borough Schematic, not to scale. Check the right map and you will find the closure first time. Tonbridge Kings Hill W Malling Borough Green Aylesford Larkfield M26 → M25 M20 → Maidstone M20 J4 M20 J5 A21 → Pembury, Hastings A21 bypass A26 → Maidstone A227 A228 A25 Wrotham → Borough Green → Maidstone National Highways (thick amber) A21, M20, M26, M25. Not on county maps. Kent County Council (thin teal) A26, A227, A228, A20, A25 and every local street.
The A21 and the motorways are National Highways roads. Everything else, including the A26 and A227 through the middle of Tonbridge, is Kent County Council.

The practical shape of the borough is two corridors that barely meet. Tonbridge sits on the A21 and the A26 at the south-west corner. The M20 runs across the north, and Kings Hill, West Malling, Larkfield, Aylesford and Snodland hang off its junctions 4 and 5. The A227 through Borough Green is the main road between the two halves, and it is a single-carriageway road doing a job the map suggests should belong to a dual carriageway.

The A21 overnight programme

National Highways has been running overnight closures on the A21 Tonbridge bypass to replace safety barriers, improve drainage, repair embankments and earthworks, and resurface. On 7 August 2026 the work overran and the bypass was closed in both directions between the two A26 junctions into the morning peak, while crews removed the traffic management. (Kent Online)

The lesson for anyone using the bypass to reach the M25: overnight closures on this stretch are scheduled to lift before the peak, but they have not always done so. If you are on an early flight or an early train, check National Highways before you set off rather than after.

Closures already dated

Kent County Council publishes its temporary closures as statutory notices before the cones appear. These were advertised on 23 July 2026 and cover the borough. Each is “on or after” the date given, for up to the number of days listed.

Advertised road closures in the Tonbridge and Malling borough, published 23 July 2026
WhereFromFor up toWhy
New Road and Station Road, Ditton10 Aug 202627 daysHighway improvement works
Nevill Court, West Malling10 Aug 20265 daysJoint bay installation
Mill Lane, Hildenborough10 Aug 20263 daysStopcock replacement
A229 Bluebell Hill village slip12 Aug 20261 night, 21:00 to 05:00Telegraph pole replacement
Bank Lane, Hildenborough13 Aug 20262 daysDucting works
A227 Shipbourne Road, Tonbridge16 Aug 20261 day, 09:30 to 15:30Telegraph pole replacement
Ridgeway Crescent, Tonbridge28 Jul 20267 daysWater service connection
Sheet Hill, Plaxtol27 Jul 20265 daysWater service connection
Comp Lane, St Mary's Platt28 Jul 20262 daysTelegraph pole installation
Vigo Road, Fairseat29 Jul 20262 daysTelegraph pole replacement

Two to plan around. New Road and Station Road in Ditton is the long one, up to 27 days from 10 August for highway improvement works, and it sits on the route between Larkfield and Aylesford. A227 Shipbourne Road on 16 August is short but central: it closes a main route out of north Tonbridge between 09:30 and 15:30, which is the school-run window either side of the holidays.

Trains: Charing Cross is shut until 17 August

The biggest travel disruption of the summer is not on the roads. London Charing Cross and Waterloo East are closed from 26 July to 16 August 2026 while Southeastern replaces 1,800 metres of track and 16 sets of switches and crossings on the approach. Tonbridge trains that would normally run to Charing Cross are going to Victoria, Cannon Street, Blackfriars and London Bridge instead. Two further weekend closures follow on 22 and 23 August and 10 and 11 October. (Southeastern)

Full journey times, fares and season prices are on our Tonbridge trains to London page.

On foot: the racecourse bridge has gone

The pedestrian bridge linking Lower Castle Fields car park with Tonbridge Racecourse Sportsground was lifted out by crane between 21 and 24 July 2026. It had been closed to pedestrians earlier in the year after inspections found a corroded subframe and movement in the abutments. Installed in 1994 as a temporary structure while Tonbridge Swimming Pool was being built, it had reached the end of its life.

The council has made no decision on whether to replace it. In the meantime the sportsground is still reachable using the alternative pedestrian bridge near Tonbridge Swimming Pool, and the lower section of Lower Castle Fields car park lost spaces during the removal. (Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council)

Parking

There is no park and ride serving Tonbridge. The options are the station car parks or the council’s town-centre car parks.

Station parking is run by APCOA. Car Park A has 258 spaces and charges £10.30 Tuesday to Thursday, £9.80 on Monday and Friday, £8.90 from 10:00, £4.50 from 18:00, £7.40 on Saturday and £5.80 on Sunday. A parking season is £1,616 a year. Blue Badge holders park free once registered. (APCOA)

Council car parks in Tonbridge are all pay and display, including Upper Castle Field (TN9 1BH) for the castle and High Street, and Lower Castle Fields by the river. You can pay cash or by RingGo. The council’s car park finder lists locations and current charges, and it is the right place to check before you assume a tariff, because they are reviewed each year.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I check Tonbridge roadworks today?

Start with one.network, which shows county and utility works on one map. For the A21, M20, M26 and M25, check National Highways instead, because county maps do not cover trunk roads.

Who is responsible for the A21 through Tonbridge?

National Highways. The A21 Tonbridge bypass is a trunk road, as are the M20, M26 and M25. Kent County Council is the highway authority for the A26, A227, A228, A20, A25 and every local street in the borough.

Why was the A21 closed in the morning?

On 7 August 2026 overnight works on the Tonbridge bypass overran, and National Highways kept the road closed between the two A26 junctions while traffic management was removed. The overnight programme covers safety barriers, drainage, embankment repairs and resurfacing.

Is there a park and ride in Tonbridge?

No. The station car parks and the council’s town-centre pay-and-display car parks are the options.

What happened to the footbridge at Tonbridge Racecourse Sportsground?

It was removed between 21 and 24 July 2026 after structural inspections found a corroded subframe and movement in the abutments. No decision has been taken on replacing it. Use the pedestrian bridge near Tonbridge Swimming Pool instead.

Related

Sources

Dated closures are advertised as “on or after” and can move. Check the live maps above before you travel.