Lower Thames Crossing
Consultation on Lower Thames Crossing. Credit: © Crown copyright.

Highways England has unveiled the latest plans to construct a £6.8bn Lower Thames Crossing that will connect the M2 near Rochester in Kent and the M25 in Essex between North and South Ockenden.

As per the revised designs, the entire Lower Thames Crossing will feature a three-lane dual carriageway compared to the previous plan of two lanes in some sections to boost its traffic carrying capacity to 90%.

Due to improved design work and ground investigations, the budget for the project has risen to £6.8bn compared to an earlier estimated £5.3bn.

The 23km-long carriageway project will also include a 3.8km-long tunnel under the Thames between Gravesend and Tilbury, which is said to be the longest road tunnel in the UK.

After its completion, the carriageway will help remove traffic at Dartford by 22% and cut congestion.

Under the revised plan, a more than 50ft-wide twin tunnel entrance in Kent will be extended by 600m further south to decrease the visual impact and protect access to a nearby church. At some places, the road will be lowered by 5m-6m to reduce its visual impact.

“It would almost double road capacity across the Thames cutting congestion, significantly easing pressure at the Dartford Crossing and boosting the resilience of the road network.”

Additionally, the road will be moved 80m further east where it crosses Chadwell St Mary to increase the distance from residential properties.

Other improvements include the addition of a new rest and service area to the west of East Tilbury, removal of the planned Tilbury link road, a new design for the Tilbury junction, and an enhanced junction with the A2.

Highways England project director Tim Jones said: “For too long the Dartford Crossing has been the only way to get across the Thames east of London. It is a vital gateway but carries more traffic than it was ever designed for and drivers there suffer from regular delays, severing communities and holding back economic growth.

“The Lower Thames Crossing is the most ambitious project of its kind ever in the UK and the biggest single road upgrade since the M25 was completed more than 30 years ago.

“It would almost double road capacity across the Thames cutting congestion, significantly easing pressure at the Dartford Crossing and boosting the resilience of the whole road network. This consultation is an important opportunity for people to share their views on our proposals and I urge anyone who has an interest to have their say.”

Highways England plans to commence construction work in the middle of 2021, with scheduled completion in 2027.

To gauge the public mood on the latest designs for the scheme, Highways England has launched a 10-week public consultation. Members of the public can submit their views by 20 December 2018.