THE Government has vowed to back plans for a new Thames crossing as well as improvements at the junctions for Ebbsfleet and Bean on the A2.

The pledges were part of a £28billion investment on road infrastructure announced in Wednesday’s Government spending review.

Junction 30, approaching the QE2 Bridge in Thurrock, is also set for an overhaul which will see slip roads widened and carriageways resurfaced.

Extra space will be created to allow clockwise traffic to merge more safely with the M25 when it passes through the toll booths into Kent.

Chairman of the Essex Federation of Small Businesses David Miles said: "There is an urgency to get these projects off the ground so businesses see action and not just rhetoric on delivery."

The new Thames Crossing will be built to deal with a rise in traffic and to ease congestion at the current Dartford Crossing.

There are four options being considered and people have until July 16 to submit their comments.