Government extends deadline on project, which would include the UK’s longest road tunnels beneath the Thames, until next May
The government has delayed its decision on whether to build a new road crossing under the Thames until next May.
This is the third time the government has postponed making a decision on the Lower Thames Crossing, with previous deadlines of 20 June and 4 October extended.
Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said in a written ministerial statement to Parliament: “The deadline for the decision is to be further extended to 23 May 2025 in order to allow more time for the application to be considered further, including any decisions made as part of the spending review.”
During a radio interview this morning, Haigh reported that the scheme’s planning processes had already accumulated a £1bn bill.
She said: “That’s one of the reasons why we’ve set out that we want to radically change the way our planning and infrastructure works, because it shouldn’t take as long as it does or cost as much money as it does to get to that stage.”
The 14.5-mile-long route would provide two 2.6 mile tunnels running under the Thames linking the A2 and M2 in Kent with the A13 in Essex, making them the longest road tunnels in the UK.
While opponents believe the £9bn project would damage green belt land, campaigners say it is needed to ease congestion on the Dartford Crossing, which also links Kent and Essex, and London’s Blackwall Tunnel.
The scheme’s application, submitted in October 2022, is backed by National Highways, which awarded a contract to a Boygues Travaux Publics/ Murphy joint venture in December for the construction of the bored tunnels.
Skanska won the £450m contract for the route’s southern section, while Balfour Beatty was given a £1.2bn package for roads on the northern side of the river.
The Treasury is reportedly exploring options to attract private financing to the major development, including offering toll revenue or long-term leases to private investors.
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