New interactive tool shows how public feedback has shaped Britain’s biggest road project

National Highways has today published a new interactive tool showing how a comprehensive programme of consultation and engagement has shaped the Lower Thames Crossing as it prepares to submit its planning application. 

The proposed Lower Thames Crossing is a new road connecting Kent and Essex that will double road capacity across the Thames east of London through the UK’s longest road tunnels. Construction could start as early as 2024. When it opens for traffic, it will unlock economic growth by bringing people closer to jobs and businesses closer to their customers and suppliers, improve journeys across the region and ease congestion on the Dartford Crossing. 

Visitors to the National Highways website can explore maps, images and videos that illustrate how the plans to design and build the crossing and connecting roads have been improved through a series of consultations and engagement with stakeholders dating back to the route options consultation in 2016. The changes cover improvements to the design of the road and junctions, extending the tunnel by almost a kilometre away from nearby protected wetland and reducing the impact on Ancient Woodland.  

The tool shows other ways feedback from local communities and stakeholders has shaped the plans including: 

• Lowering the height of the road, in some places by as much as five metres, so approximately 80% of the route is below ground level or behind false cutting 
• Reducing the number of lorries needed during construction from 17,500 to 9,500 by re-using excavated material on site to create landscaping features and two new public parks. This would include Tilbury Fields, a planned new landscaped park, giving communities panoramic views of the Thames  
• Creating or upgrading almost 40 miles of walking paths, cycle paths and bridleways – almost 3 miles of pathways for every mile of new road 
• Adding more than 200 hectares, the equivalent of around 280 football pitches of compensatory habitat and woodland to compensate for the potential impact on designated habitats. 

Mark Bottomley, Deputy Project Director, Lower Thames Crossing, said: “It is important we make rapid progress on tackling the issues at Dartford that are a barrier to growth. The Lower Thames Crossing will almost double road capacity across the Thames and ease congestion at Dartford. 

“We’ve carried out a huge programme of engagement and consultation with our stakeholders and communities to improve the design of the Lower Thames Crossing and reduce our impact on our neighbours and the environment. We have designed around 80% of the new road below ground level or behind false cutting and added two new public parks – one on the north bank of the Thames and one at the southern tunnel entrance. We're grateful to our stakeholders and local communities for taking the time to give us feedback and help us shape our route and how we will build it.”  

In the coming weeks, National Highways will be submitting an application for a Development Consent Order, where local communities will have a further opportunity to provide their views on the plans to the Planning Inspectorate. If consent is granted, we expect to start work to build the crossing in 2024. 

The new interactive tool can be viewed here. 

Notes to Editors

National Highways is the wholly government-owned company responsible for modernising, maintaining and operating England’s motorways and major A roads.

Real-time traffic information for England’s motorways and major A roads is available via the Traffic England website, local and national radio travel bulletins, electronic road signs and mobile apps. Local Twitter services are also available.

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