The UK government has today given planning permission for the £9bn Lower Thames Crossing – and the nation’s longest road tunnel.
The 23km road project east of London includes two 4.1km-long tunnels (one northbound and one southbound) under the River Thames. The tunnels will link the A2 in Kent with the A13 and M25 in Essex.
The aim is to ease congestion at Dartford by almost doubling road capacity across the Thames east of London.
The government is currently exploring private finance options for the project. Construction could start as early as 2026, with the new road expected to open in the early 2030s.
In December 2023 the government awarded the tunnelling contract to Bouygues Travaux Publics Murphy JV.
National Highways says the crossing is the first in a new generation of road projects that will accelerate the construction industry’s move to net zero by using fuels such as hydrogen to power its construction fleet and using only low-carbon concrete and steel.
“This pioneering approach to carbon has cut the project’s estimated construction footprint by around half so far, with a target to achieve a 70% reduction. The new blueprint for low-carbon construction created on the project is already being replicated across other sectors ranging from nuclear and water to rail and aviation,” National Highways says.
The project will also deliver six times more green space than road. Plans include one million additional trees, a new community woodland, and two new public parks overlooking the Thames. The project will also encourage active travel across the area by providing almost 4.8km of new or improved routes for walkers, cyclists, or horse riders for every 1.6km of new road.
The road design was developed following consultation with the local community and a range of organisations. Changes included making it three lanes in each direction along most of the route, reducing the impact on woodland by 70%, and increasing the length of the tunnel to reduce impacts on local communities and the environment. Around 80% of the route now runs through a tunnel, cutting or embankment to blend it into the landscape, and seven green bridges will blend the road into the landscape and provide safer crossing points for people and wildlife.
National Highways executive director Lower Thames Crossing Matt Palmer said the Lower Thames Crossing was one of the UK’s most important infrastructure projects.
“It will unlock growth with quicker, safer, and more reliable journeys and redraw the blueprint for building major projects in a net zero future by scaling up the use low-carbon construction, and leaving a legacy of green spaces, green skills.
“Our plans have been shaped by the local community and refined by robust and rigorous examination from independent experts. We are more committed than ever to working with our neighbours to build the crossing in a way that offers them opportunities to work and learn new skills while reducing impacts. We are shovel ready and have our delivery partners on board, and today’s decision allows us to work with government on funding and start the detailed planning that will let us start construction as soon as possible.”
