Decrease Thames Crossing undertaking awarded £590m by Rachel Reeves

A undertaking to construct the UK’s largest highway tunnel has been granted £590m by the federal government.

Setting up the Decrease Thames Crossing, linking Tilbury in Essex and Gravesend in Kent, will value an estimated £10bn.

Plans for the 14.5-mile (23km) route have been permitted in March after a 16-year course of that has already value £1.2bn.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves stated the crossing would assist “smoother, much less congested passage of important items from Europe to our areas”.

It got here as a part of a £1bn bundle, introduced on Monday, to enhance transport infrastructure throughout England.

The federal government stated it was seeking to supply personal finance to construct the Decrease Thames Crossing, branding it a “nationwide precedence”.

Nationwide Highways hoped the highway would scale back site visitors on the Dartford Crossing by 20%.

Building was anticipated to start in 2026, forward of an anticipated opening by 2032.

“It is a turning level for our nationwide infrastructure, and we’re backing it with funding to help hundreds of jobs and join communities,” Reeves stated.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander added: “This undertaking is crucial for bettering the resilience of a key freight route and is crucial to our long-term commerce with Europe.”

Nevertheless, Treasury minister Emma Reynolds struggled to reply questions in regards to the undertaking on a nationwide radio programme.

Chatting with LBC’s Nick Ferrari, she mistakenly referred to as the present crossing the “Dartmouth tunnel” – as an alternative of Dartford – and couldn’t “recall the touchdown zone” when requested the place the brand new crossing can be situated.

Pressed on the associated fee, Reynolds stated “it will value fairly some huge cash”, suggesting it will be “a number of billion kilos”.

Nationwide Highways has estimated the associated fee might be between £9.2 billion and £10.2 billion, relying on the funding mannequin chosen.

The highway will hyperlink the A2 and M2 in Kent with the A13 and M25 in Thurrock, and can stretch from the east of Tilbury to the east of Gravesend.

About 2.6 miles (4.2km) of the route is to be underground, with northbound and southbound tunnels operating subsequent to one another beneath the Thames.

The funding announcement was welcomed by Logistics UK, which represents the transport and logistics sector.

“Environment friendly logistics with minimal delays is crucial to the supply of the federal government’s development agenda, and our members are delighted to listen to that funding has been made obtainable to start out work on the long-planned Decrease Thames Crossing, after a decade of holdups at this very important interchange,” stated coverage director Kevin Inexperienced.

“It’s crucial that the federal government additionally units out a plan for offering and securing the total funding required to finish the undertaking – our members deserve to have the ability to ship effectively for the trade they help, in order that the economic system can profit.”

Nevertheless, campaigners have raised considerations about historical woodland being impacted by the works.

Chris Todd, director of Transport Motion Community, beforehand stated the choice was “absolute insanity”.

He added: “The one method that the federal government can afford this white elephant can be to take cash from all the opposite nations and areas within the UK.”