Decision comes 16 years after scheme was first proposed

The government has finally approved the £9bn Lower Thames Crossing 16 years after the project was first proposed.

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander has signed off the project to build the UK’s longest road tunnels beneath the River Thames between Tilbury and Gravesend as part of a plan to reduce congestion on the Dartford Crossing.

A decision on the scheme has previously been postponed on three occasions, most recently in October. More than £1.2bn has been spent on planning costs alone since the tunnel was first put forward in 2009.

lower thames crossing

CGI of the scheme showing tunnels running beneath the lower reaches of the Thames

National Highways has said the 23km route, which will link the A2 and M2 in Kent with the A13 and M25 in Thurrock, could start construction next year and open by 2032.

Around 4.2km of the road would be underground in the form of two parallel road tunnels running northbound and southbound.

Traffic at the Dartford Crossing, a major choke point on the road network between southern and northern England, would be cut by 20%, according to National Highways.

Jim Dickson, the Labour MP for Dartford, said the decision would “finally deliver a solution to the traffic chaos” faced by motorists.

“For far too long governments have dodged making a decision on the Lower Thames Crossing, leaving Dartford residents to endure endless gridlock,” he added.

“This decision will unlock economic growth across the country and finally deliver a solution to the traffic chaos faced by my constituents on a daily basis.”

But the scheme has faced opposition from environmental campaigners who have raised concerns about the impact on ancient woodland, while James McMurdock, Reform MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock, said miles of the countryside would be “covered with tarmac”.

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 development, including offering toll revenue or long-term leases to private investors.

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