Chancellor Rachel Reeves makes major announcement on £9billion Lower Thames Crossing

Chancellor Rachel Reeves gave government backing for the £9billion Lower Thames Crossing linking Kent and Essex in her “dash for growth” speech on Wednesday. In a major speech in Oxfordshire, Ms Reeves said ministers would work with the private sector to build the 14.3-mile road linking the A2 and M2 in Kent to the M25 in Essex.

The new motorway-style road in the form of a tunnel under the Thames would be the UK’s longest of its kind, and is aimed at reducing congestion at the Dartford Tunnel. A planning decision on the project, which has been ongoing since 2009 and has already cost taxpayers £800m, was due to be made in May. Ms Reeves said ministers would "work with the private sector to deliver the infrastructure that our country desperately needs".



"This includes the Lower Thames Crossing, which will improve connectivity at Dover, Felixstowe and Harwich, alleviating severe congestion as goods destined to export come from the North and the Midlands, and across the country, to markets overseas. "To drive growth and deliver value for money for taxpayers, we are exploring options to privately finance this important project." If constructed, the crossing would almost double road capacity across the Thames east of London.

However, it has been opposed by environmental campaigners and some local councils, with consistent opposition from Essex’s Thurrock Council. Separately on Wednesday, the Chancellor confirmed backing for a third runway at Heathrow and vowed to build Europe’s answer to Silicon Valley between Oxford and Cambridge with a slew of major infrastructure projects. Under the plans for the Oxford-Cambridge arc, Ms Reeves said ministers would boost connectivity in the region, unlock new housing and build new reservoirs for the first time in decades, saying it offered “huge potential” for growth.

This would include improved rail links between the two university cities, with initial services from Oxford to Bletchley and Milton Keynes scheduled to begin this year, and a new mainline railway station at Tempsford, Bedfordshire. The Treasury hopes the project, which is to be helmed by Lord Patrick Vallance, could add up to £78bn to the UK economy by 2035..