A coalition of businesses has called on the government to commit to the £9bn Lower Thames Crossing to avoid “another 15 years of uncertainty”.
Contractors and construction trade bodies were among 73 organisations that signed a letter to the government – coordinated by trade body Logistics UK – supporting the road scheme, as the planning deadline approaches.
A government decision on whether to grant the project a development consent order, which was pushed back by the previous government until after July’s general election, is now due by 4 October.
The letter says: “The Lower Thames Crossing is not just a local project but a national imperative that will bolster our economic resilience and growth. A decision by 4th October is crucial.
“The logistics industry and the wider UK business community cannot afford to endure another 15 years of uncertainty and congestion-related challenges.”
Signatories include the Civil Engineering Contractors Association, Construction Products Association, Gallagher Group, Heidelberg Materials, Aggregate Industries, Flannery and Speedy Hire.
The major road project, which aims to alleviate traffic at the critical Dartford crossing, has suffered a series of planning setbacks since plans were first submitted in 2020.
In March 2023, former transport secretary Mark Harper delayed the project by two years in a bid to spread out government spending. It was among the projects rumoured to be at risk in chancellor Rachel Reeves’ post-election infrastructure shake-up in July, although it was ultimately spared the axe.
The letter says: “If consented, the [Lower Thames Crossing] will become one of the UK’s largest construction projects. Within months, there could be spades in the ground and workers being upskilled, with the new road potentially operational by 2030/32.”
Meanwhile, client National Highways has confirmed Skanska’s appointment to one of three major contracts on the project.
Skanska was named as the preferred bidder in July 2023 for the Kent roads contract, which was then priced at £450m. In a contract notice published on Sunday (15 September), National Highways confirmed the two-stage contract was finalised in January, valued at £434.7m. The contractor will deliver the route from the A2/M2 corridor to 1km south of the tunnel’s southern portal.
National Highways has already awarded main-works contracts to Balfour Beatty, a £1.2bn north roads package, and to a Bouygues-Murphy joint venture, for £1.34bn worth of tunnelling.
The Department for Transport has been contacted for comment.
