The preferred route for the new Lower Thames Crossing between Tilbury in Essex and Gravesend in Kent has been announced. The new two-mile road tunnel will create a link between the A2 and the M25 and reduce the burden on the busy Dartford Crossing. Highways England has offered its support to the construction of the  tunnel under the river Thames. The link will be the first new crossing of the Thames east of London since the Queen Elizabeth II bridge opened in 1991.

The planned route will run from the M25 near North Ockendon, cross the A13 at Orsett before crossing under the Thames east of Tilbury and Gravesend. A new link road will then take traffic to the A2 near Shorne.The tunnel has been estimated to cost between £4.3 billion and £5.9 billion.

For further information please click here and uk/91 for the tunnelbuilder archive. Visit https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-lower-thames-crossings-to-cut-congestion-and-create-thousands-of-jobs.  15/17.