A226 road
The A226 road travels in a west-east direction in north Kent, from Crayford, through Dartford, Gravesend to Strood. It is about 15.7 miles in length. Before road numbering began in the United Kingdom, the road was part of the major route between London and Dover, the road taken by all traffic heading for mainland Europe. When the Ministry of Transport published its first list of road numbers, however, the building of the A2 had already begun; and the earliest map shows the projected route of that latter road; the previous road being relegated to what is now the A226.The road begins with an end-on junction with the A207 to the east of the town of Crayford. Both roads are marked on street maps as being part of the Roman road Watling Street; although the A207 is Crayford Road, the A226 being Dartford Road. After 1 mile (1.6 km) the road becomes West Hill where the descent into the valley of the River Darent and the town of Dartford begins. At the foot of the hill the clockwise ringroad is encountered: the original road continued through what is now the pedestrianised High Street. Roads making up the Ring Road are (from the west): Highfield Road; Westgate; Home Gardens; Market Street; Lowfield Street (which continues south as the A225 road); and Instone Road.Beyond the Ring Road is East Hill, still part of Watling Street. At its top the road becomes The Brent: a junction here takes traffic south-east on the A296 road to connect with the Dartford Crossing. The Brent crosses a bridge over the A282 road here. This is the only part of the M25 which not a motorway, where it crosses the River Thames by tunnel and bridge.
