The project’s increase in funding was confirmed in The Budget
The Lower Thames Crossing is on track to open in the early 2030s, Rachel Reeves has confirmed. The Chancellor of the Exchequer committed a further ÂŁ891m to the long-awaited project as part of The Budget, eight months after Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander approved the final plans.
Once completed, the 14.5-mile ‘motorway-style road’ should significantly reduce congestion at the Dartford Crossing. It will connect the A2 and M2 in Kent to the A13 and M25 in Essex via a 2.6-mile route under the Thames, marking the UK’s longest road tunnel.
It has also been designed to improve connectivity between the south-east, the Midlands, and the North. This latest cash injection will be used to complete publicly-funded works between 2026 and 2029 as part of its staged approach.
The private sector will take construction and long-term operation forward after this point. Reeves said: “As we allocate investment for the infrastructure that is the backbone of economic growth across our country, today I will commit investment for the Lower Thames Crossing.”
The news was welcomed by National Highways’ Matt Palmer, the Crossing’s executive director, who previously described it as “one of the UK’s most important infrastructure projects”. He said: “The project will be built by local people and businesses, and leave a legacy of jobs and skills across the region.
“It’s the first of a new generation of projects that will tackle congestion and drive economic growth, whilst redrawing the blueprint for low-carbon construction.”
What will the Lower Thames Crossing look like?
National Highways says the new crossing will become the greenest road in Britain. To minimise the environmental impact, 80 per cent of the route between Gravesend in Kent and Tilbury in Essex will be in a tunnel or hidden behind landscaped embankments that blend into the countryside.
It will also contain seven new green bridges – one of which set to be the widest in Europe – to make it easier for people to pass through nature-filled spaces. Other new methods being used include plans for pre-fabricated bridges to minimise disruption for drivers in the area, low-carbon footbridges constructed without concrete and slick gantries made with no steel.
These gantries are also designed to obscure the view of the road as little as possible – you can see more photos on MyLondon.
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