The A28 is a trunk road in the counties of Kent and East Sussex in south east England, connecting Margate, Canterbury, Ashford and Hastings.

A28 shield
A28
Route information
Length58.6 mi[1] (94.3 km)
Major junctions
North east end A254 in Margate
Major intersections A299 near St Nicholas-at-Wade

A253 at Sarre
A2 in Canterbury

A20 / A292 in Ashford
South west end A21 in North Hastings (Baldslow)
Location
CountryUnited Kingdom
CountiesKent, East Sussex
Primary
destinations
Ramsgate
Ashford
Canterbury
Road network
The A28 near Rolvenden
The commemorative plaque for Simone Weil Avenue, a section of the A28 as it runs through Ashford

Starting at the seaside resort of Margate at the north-east point of Kent, the A28 runs inland and west-southwest to the cathedral city of Canterbury, before passing through the chalk hills of the North Downs via the gap cut by the River Stour, to the town of Ashford in the Vale of Holmesdale. From here, the A28 proceeds via the market town of Tenterden, to the East Sussex seaside town of Hastings, on the English Channel.

Route

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The A28 leaves Margate via the seaside resorts of Westgate and Birchington, and then heads inland reaching open countryside at the village of Sarre, after which the road roughly parallels both the Ashford-Ramsgate railway line and the Great Stour river on their combined route to Canterbury and then Ashford.

From Sarre, the road passes through the villages of Upstreet, Hersden and Sturry, and then to the city of Canterbury. It forms part of Canterbury's ring road before leaving via Wincheap and Thanington Without, where a sliproad linking to the A2 was completed in 2011.[2]

The A28 passes between the North Downs via the villages of Chartham, Chilham, Godmersham and Bilting, to enter the Vale of Holmesdale. The road reaches surburbia again at Kennington, a suburb of Ashford, but the A28 then skirts around the town centre of Ashford on a section of dual carriageway, where it has a junction with the A20. In 1983, this section was named Simone Weil Avenue, in honour of the French philosopher and mystic who is buried nearby in Bybrook Cemetery. Bypassing the village of Great Chart, the road undulates in a general south-westward direction around the Kentish Weald via the villages of Bethersden and High Halden, to the market town of Tenterden.

The A28 continues via the villages of Rolvenden and Newenden before crossing a narrow bridge over the River Rother and entering East Sussex via Northiam, beyond which the road becomes very winding. After the village of Brede there is a steep descent to bridge the river of the same name. Next is Westfield, just before the road climbs to terminate at its junction with the A21 just north of Hastings.

Improvements

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Work has continued to improve the A28 into the 21st century. In 2011 a new slip road was completed to connect the road to the A2 in Canterbury.[2]

Junction list

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CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
KentMargate0.00.0   A254 south-east (Belgrave Road) to Cecil Square / A255 – Town centre, Ramsgate, BroadstairsNorth-eastern terminus; north-western terminus of A254
St Nicholas-at-Wade5.69.0   A299 (Thanet Way) to M2 – Ramsgate, London, BroadstairsBroadstairs signed north-east only
Sarre7.311.7  A253 east – RamsgateInformation signed north-east only; western terminus of A253
Sturry13.121.1  A291 north (Sturry Hill) – Herne BaySouthern terminus of A291
Canterbury15.925.6   A257 east to A2 – Sandwich, DoverWestern terminus of A257
16.326.2  Rheims Way (A290 north-west) to A2 – London, WhitstableSouth-eastern terminus of A290
CanterburyThanington boundary17.0–
17.1
27.4–
27.5
   A2 to M2 – Dover, LondonGrade–separated junction on A2
Chilham21.634.8  A252 west – Charing, ChallockChallock signed south-west only; eastern terminus of A252
Kennington28.545.9   A2070 south (Willesborough Road) to M20 – Brenzett, WillesboroughNorthern terminus of A2070
29.046.7  A2042 north (Faversham Road) – Challock, Faversham, Boughton AluphBoughton Aluph signed north-east only; Southern terminus of A2042
Ashford30.248.6     A20 (Fougers Way / Maidstone Road) / A292 south-east (Maidstone Road) to M20 / A251 – Ashford, Charing, Lenham, FavershamNorth-western terminus of A292
High HaldenTenterden boundary40.164.5   A262 west (Biddenden Road) to A272 – Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone, BiddendenEastern terminus of A262
Newenden47.776.8  A268 north-west – Hawkhurst, SandhurstSandhurst signed south-west only; north-eastern terminus of A268 concurrency
East SussexNorthiam48.878.5  A268 south-east (Whitebread Lane) – RyeSouth-western terminus of A268 concurrency
Hastings58.694.3  A21 (Ebden's Hill) – Hastings, London, SevenoaksSouth-western terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

51°10′39″N 0°54′19″E / 51.17759°N 0.90522°E / 51.17759; 0.90522

References

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  1. ^ a b "17a Marine Gardens, Margate CT9 1XJ, UK to Military Fitness Academy, Canterbury CT1 3XT, United Kingdom to Newenden, Cranbrook, UK to Ebden's Hill, Hastings, Saint Leonards-on-sea TN37 7NA, UK". Google Maps. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  2. ^ a b A28/A2 Slip Road built in Canterbury (Kent County Council) Archived 19 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine