The Lower Thames Crossing, a new road to run between Kent and Essex, has been approved, hoping to ease the pressure on the Dartford Crossing. The 14.5 mile-long stretch will be a three-lane, 70mph road that14.5-mile-long road that will connect the A2/M2 junction with the M25. It will be achieved through a pair of tunnels built under the River Thames, 2.6 miles long. This will make them the longest of their king anywhere in the UK.
National Highways says that the Lower Thames Crossing could take around 13 million cars off the Dartford Crossing annually. It added that this would cut journey times by 30% at Dartford and 46% between Tilbury in Essex and Medway in Kent. The new crossing is needed, it said, because the one in Dartford, which opened 60 years ago, “cannot keep up with unprecedented demand.”
“Designed to handle 135,000 vehicles a day, it now averages 150,000 a day and requires a dedicated team to manage it around the clock,” said National Highways.
Usage is expected to rise to an average of around 180,000 vehicles every day, the current peak, within 17 years. The demand would mean that the Dartford Crossing is “one of the country’s most unreliable roads,” as 19 in every 20 northbound journeys are delayed during the evening rush hour. This congestion, according to National Highways, costs the country £200 million in time lost every year.
Planning for the Lower Thames Crossing has been underway since 2009 and has cost £1.2 billion so far. Construction is expected to begin next year.
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