By rosebell
As the nation’s longest road tunnel, the £9bn Lower Thames Crossing project’s planning permission has been approved by the UK government.
Including two 4.1km-long tunnels (one northbound and one southbound), the 23km road project east of London is beneath the River Thames, whereas the tunnels are going to link the A2 in Kent with the A13 and M25 in Essex.
Through almost doubling road capacity across the Thames east of London,the congestion at Dartford is due to reduce, so now the government is exploring private finance options for the project. The scheduled date for commencing the construction process is as early as 2026, with the new road expected to open in the early 2030s.
Also the tunneling contract was granted to Bouygues Travaux Publics Murphy JV in December 2023 by government.
Acording to National Highways: “The crossing is the first in a new generation of road projects that will accelerate the construction industry’s move to net zero by using fuels such as hydrogen to power its construction fleet and using only low-carbon concrete and steel. This pioneering approach to carbon has cut the project’s estimated construction footprint by around half so far, with a target to achieve a 70% reduction. The new blueprint for low-carbon construction created on the project is already being replicated across other sectors ranging from nuclear and water to rail and aviation.”
While involving one million additional trees, a new community woodland, and two new public parks overlooking the Thames,this project will also deliver six times more green space than road and also is going to encourage active travel across the area by providing almost 4.8km of new or improved routes for walkers, cyclists, or horse riders for every 1.6km of new road.
After consultation with the local community and a range of organisations, the road design was developed and making it three lanes in each direction along most of the route, reducing the impact on woodland by 70%, as well as increasing the length of the tunnel to reduce impacts on local communities and the environment, were the Changes. Currently about 80% of the route runs through a tunnel, cutting or embankment to blend it into the landscape, and seven green bridges will blend the road into the landscape and provide safer crossing points for people and wildlife.
The Lower Thames Crossing was one of the UK’s most important infrastructure projects.It will unlock growth with quicker, safer, and more reliable journeys and redraw the blueprint for building major projects in a net zero future by scaling up the use low-carbon construction, and leaving a legacy of green spaces, green skills,” said National Highways executive director Lower Thames Crossing Matt Palmer.
He also added: “Our plans have been shaped by the local community and refined by robust and rigorous examination from independent experts. We are more committed than ever to working with our neighbours to build the crossing in a way that offers them opportunities to work and learn new skills while reducing impacts. We are shovel ready and have our delivery partners on board, and today’s decision allows us to work with government on funding and start the detailed planning that will let us start construction as soon as possible.”
