A £27MILLION package of measures to ease traffic congestion will be completed in just over two years after the final plans won permission from the Government.

Ministers have agreed to release the cash to extend Roscommon Way on Canvey and fund a series of improvements to the A127 at Basildon.

The extension to Roscommon Way will cost £12.1million to link it up with Haven Road, improving access to the Charfleets Industrial Estate.

In Basildon, slip lanes and approaches to roundabouts will be widened, new dedicated left-turn lanes will be created and early-warning signals for motorists will be fitted in and around Cranes Farm Road, East Mayne and the Fairglen junction, where the A127 meets the A130.

Pam Challis, Tory leader of Castle Point Council, said: “I am pleased this infrastructure investment is going to Canvey.

“We all recognise the huge congestion problems the island has. This will go a long way to improving traffic flow.”

Malcolm Buckley, Conservative leader of Basildon Council, said easing congestion on roads was a priority for businesses.

He said: “It will help us secure the businesses that are already here and make it more attractive for those who may join us over the coming years.”

It is hoped the cash for Canvey will help regenerate the trading estate and deliver up to 1,600 new jobs, as well as relieving congestion in Long Road.

Mark Jefford, director of South Eastern Road Tankers which operates out of the estate, said the extension would make a real difference to his business.

He said: “I have 44-tonne lorries trying to get up Charfleets Road at the moment and it can be really awkward. I don’t think it will bring more business, but it will make life a lot easier.”

Albert Kar, 37, owner of Crownoak Logistics, Whitmore Way, Basildon, said improvements to the A127 could make all the difference to him. He said: “Every single minute counts in this business, so I do welcome the improvements if they mean better traffic during rush hour.