The British government for its part has allocated £590 million towards building the Lower Thames Crossing. This ambitious national infrastructure project seeks to improve connectivity between major cities in the North of England. This ambitious project will ultimately develop a 14.5-mile (23 km) line. It will connect Kent’s A2 and M2 with Thurrock’s A13 and M25. The new crossing is projected to reduce traffic congestion at the existing Dartford Crossing by 20%.
The Lower Thames Crossing will run from east of Tilbury to east of Gravesend. It’ll comprise an expected total of 2.6 miles (4.2 km) of subway-like underground tunnels. Each of these tunnels will include dedicated express northbound/southbound routes. They will run mostly parallel beneath the Thames, greatly minimizing disruption above. Nearly the entire stretch of route will be tunneled or buried behind landscaped interchange mounds and raised embankments. This design decision follows through with the promise that the project will have no net negative visual effects.
Construction is scheduled to start in 2026, with the new crossing expected to open by 2032. National Highways has estimated that the overall cost of the scheme will be between £9.2 billion and £10.2 billion. The funding comes from the UK government’s wider £1 billion package. The goal of the Active Travel England initiative is to improve transportation infrastructure up and down the country.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves emphasized the importance of this project, stating that it would facilitate “smoother, less congested passage of vital goods from Europe to our regions.” She added, “This is a turning point for our national infrastructure, and we’re backing it with funding to support thousands of jobs and connect communities.”
While the project received mostly positive reactions, some stakeholders were concerned about the financial impact of the project. Emma Reynolds remarked, “It’s going to cost quite a lot of money.” Another representative from Logistics UK stated, “It is imperative that the government sets out a plan for providing and securing the full funding required to complete the project – our members deserve to be able to deliver efficiently for the industry they support, so that the economy can benefit.”
Critics have voiced their apprehensions. Chris Todd pointedly mentioned, “The only way that the government can afford this white elephant would be to take money from all the other nations and regions in the UK.”
“Efficient logistics with minimal delays is critical to the delivery of the government’s growth agenda, and our members are delighted to hear that funding has been made available to start work on the long-planned Lower Thames Crossing, after a decade of holdups at this vital interchange.”