Plans for a passenger ferry at Medway City Estate are moving ahead, which could help end traffic misery for some drivers.

The idea of a river commuter crossing has been in the pipeline for many years, and now Jet Stream Tours is taking action.

The company, which runs leisure trips on the river, is in talks with a number of landowners on the estate to create a pontoon for the vessel.

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Jet Stream has permission to use Sun Pier in Chatham as a launch site and support from Medway Council.

The pontoons are ready to be installed once a landowner has been found and would take just a few days to put up.

However, Richard Bain, head of Jet Stream Tours, said finding the right boat is proving more difficult.

VIDEO: Plan for ferry service in Medway. Jacqueline Gordon reports

He added: “We have a 12-seater but we don’t want to launch a service that isn’t sustainable.

“We are looking for something with around 50 seats and we have a boat in mind.

“We also have draft timetables in place and the council has acknowledged the service would be beneficial to Medway. So things are looking very positive.”

Meanwhile, traffic delays could hit workers on the Medway City Estate once more when roadworks close part of a busy approach road.

A section of Banks Road will be closed for three days later this month.

Previous roadworks in Banks Road and Station Road in 2014 caused huge problems, with traffic queuing for up to two hours to travel just one mile to get off the estate each evening.

It prompted disgruntled businesses, fed up with years of delays, to consider moving elsewhere.

“We also have draft timetables in place and the council has acknowledged the service would be beneficial to Medway. So things are looking very positive" - Richard Bain, head of Jet Stream Tours

At the time, our sister paper the Medway Messenger launched a campaign calling on Medway Council to take immediate action to ease the congestion for the 6,000 estate employees.

Since then, yellow lines have been installed to stop parked cars blocking Sir Thomas Longley Road and Anthony’s Way at peak times, and the approach to the Medway Tunnel roundabout has been widened to make room for three lanes of traffic.

But motorists are still waiting for traffic lights to be installed on the Gillingham side of the tunnel, which could make a significant difference.

The lights would hold traffic back from entering the tunnel, creating a gap in the stream of vehicles on the other side, so drivers leaving the estate can do so more easily.

The work was supposed to be carried out between September and December last year, but has not yet started.

Medway Council said the Banks Road closure will not affect motorists getting on and off the estate as the road will still be open between Commissioners Road and Station Road.

The road will be shut from Monday, February 17, to Friday, February 19, between 9.30am and 3.30pm each day.

A council spokesman said the work has been scheduled to coincide with half-term to reduce disruption.

Initially it was deemed contractors would need five days to complete the work, but then said they would only need three days to complete it.