A proposed £125m upgrade for two busy junctions along the A2 in north Kent has been announced by Highways England.

Plans to upgrade the Bean and Ebbsfeet junctions on the A2 were put to the public between January and March this year, and Highways England announced last week that the preferred route.

Both junctions will have their capacity increased by adding new lanes to their existing roundabouts and slip roads. At Bean, a new bridge will be built over the A2 dual carriageway.

The upgraded junctions will help to support the creation of more than 30,000 new jobs and 15,000 new homes in Kent.

The announcement has been welcomed by the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, the firm behind the huge garden city project, who also confirmed a £45m funding contribution for the project.

Paul Spooner, Interim chief executive of the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, said: "This is a major commitment by us to ensure the A2 continues to move. With up to 15,000 new homes in Ebbsfleet Garden City, we are well aware the strain that could place on local traffic, particularly at these two junctions, and this money enables that work to now go-ahead.

"With these improvements and a commitment from us to improve public transport in the area with a new upgraded Fastrack service, we are helping address those concerns and ensure traffic continues to flow as we see 5,100 homes completed here by 2021."

The investment will be recovered through developer contributions which house builders have to pay as the garden city progresses.

The corporation’s £45m towards the £125million overall cost will help work on the two junctions, which includes an additional bridge over the A2, providing a new slip road onto the A2, and enlarging the roundabout at Bean, while at Ebbsfleet both roundabouts are set to be enlarged and traffic lights will be installed.

Highways England claim the scheme will support the housing growth proposed for the north Kent area, including Ebbsfleet Garden City, increase the capacity of the junctions and minimise the impact on the A2 and improve journey times.

Chris Lilley, managing director of Redrow Homes South East, which is building 950 homes at Ebbsfleet Green, said: “Among the many reasons homebuyers are drawn to Ebbsfleet is the location, offering fantastic commuter connections by rail at Ebbsfleet International. This forward investment into the A2 will provide various improvements all geared towards alleviating what is a very busy route and it’s a major commitment to ensuring local residents can enjoy better travel by road as well as rail as the Garden City develops.”

A public consultation on the options was held from Wednesday 18 January 2017 to Wednesday 1 March 2017. A total of 169 responses were received during this consultation.

Council leader Jeremy Kite has previously said that infrastructure must come first for Dartford. 

More than 600 homes were under construction in Ebbsfleet Garden City in the last year and in September it is expected the 700th home will have been completed.

Work has started on a £12million bridge linking Springhead Park to Ebbsfleet International Station and new walking and cycling routes are planned so householders are not as reliant on their cars.