Lower Thames Crossing

The Lower Thames Crossing is a proposed road crossing of the Thames estuary downstream of the Dartford Crossing that links the counties of Kent and Essex, and its proposed approaches. If built it would pass through the districts of Thurrock and Gravesham, supplementing the Dartford route. The approximately route will be assessed by the Planning Inspectorate. First proposed in the late 2000s, the crossing is designed to relieve the pressure on the existing A282 Dartford Crossing. The proposed route would connect the M25 motorway and A13 north of the river to the M2 motorway south of the river. If built, the crossing would have the longest road tunnel in the UK at . The road number A122 has been identified for the proposed road. The crossing is estimated to cost about £9 billion and would take about six years to build following the granting of planning permission. A planning application was submitted in 2020, and withdrawn. In summer 2022, there was a further local consultation with a new application expected before the end of the year. Described as "a crucial part of the country’s strategic road network", the Dartford Crossing is the only fixed road crossing of the River Thames east of Greater London. Although officially designated as the A282, the crossing is considered part of the M25 motorway orbital route around London. Last expanded in 1991 with the opening of the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, the crossing is the busiest estuarial route in the United Kingdom, with an average daily use of around 160,000 vehicles. The crossing has high levels of congestion, especially at peak times - with high levels of air pollution impacting neighbouring Thurrock and Dartford. A variety of additional crossings downstream of the Dartford Crossing have been proposed. Currently, there is a ferry service operating between Gravesend and Tilbury, which predominantly carries foot passengers and bicycles, Monday to Saturday. An additional Thames crossing downstream from Dartford was first considered in the Roads for Prosperity white paper in 1989, noting that it would "[relieve the] east side of the M25 between Kent and Essex".