US EditionLower Thames Crossing plan for Kent and Essex approved - 16 years after work on road scheme started
- Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander approved the Lower Thames Crossing on Tuesday, a 14.5-mile project connecting Kent to Essex, after the Planning Inspectorate gave the go ahead, marking the approval of Britain's biggest road scheme.
- The Lower Thames Crossing , aimed at reducing congestion on the Dartford Crossing and nearly doubling road capacity east of London, has been in planning for 16 years, with work ongoing since 2009 and the application submitted on October 31, 2022, and accepted for examination on November 28, 2022.
- The Lower Thames Crossing project, estimated to cost £9 billion, will connect the A2/M2 near Strood to the A13 and M25 near Upminster, featuring two tunnels running under the River Thames and is expected to be the UK's longest road tunnel.
- While £1.2 billion has already been spent on planning, consultations, environmental assessments, traffic modelling, legal fees, land purchases, and a new community woodland, National Highways is exploring private finance options for the project, with final funding decisions to be made in due course; the planning document is an extensive 359,070 pages long.
- Despite opposition from Thurrock Council, the Lower Thames Crossing is projected to start construction in 2026 and open in 2032, with supporters like Labour MP Jim Dickson and Logistics UK Chief Executive David Wells OBE citing its potential to unlock economic growth and alleviate traffic chaos, while critics like Chris Todd denounce it as "absolute madness" and a "white elephant", with concerns about disruption and costs potentially reaching £16 billion.
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Labour has a chance to deliver for the North...if they don’t seize it, they’ll be punished – analysis by Katherine Forster
There’s good news for the South of England today, both for drivers and rail passengers.The Lower Thames Crossing has been given the go-ahead to link Kent and Essex, and Chiltern Railways will run trains between Oxford and Milton Keynes for the first time in 60 years.The Lower Thames Crossing will be Britain’s biggest single planned road building project, and will total over 14 miles of roads, including the tunnel beneath the Thames.Two 2.6-mile …
·London, United Kingdom
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Lower Thames Crossing plan for Kent and Essex approved - 16 years after work on road scheme started
Work on the Lower Thames Crossing has been ongoing since 2009. It would connect the A2 and M2 in Kent to the A13 and M25 in Essex via a 2.6-mile tunnel under the River Thames.
·United Kingdom
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