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UK Government Tightens Control of £10 Billion Thames Tunnel Project
The UK government is taking direct control of the £10 billion Lower Thames Crossing project,stripping duty from National Highways amid concerns over potential cost overruns and delays. The move, driven by the cabinet of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, signals a heightened focus on managing large-scale infrastructure initiatives.
The Lower Thames Crossing, the UK’s largest planned infrastructure project, will now be overseen by the Department for Transport (DfT), a shift intended to ensure tighter budgetary control and faster progress. Previously, National Highways held responsibility for the project, but will now concentrate on “managing, maintaining, and renewing the network,” according to internal consultation documents reviewed by the Guardian.
The decision comes as the government seeks to accelerate infrastructure advancement and address economic challenges. Treasury officials reportedly pushed for the centralization of management after Chancellor Rachel Reeves expressed frustration with delays caused by environmental concerns – specifically referencing “bats and newts” – which have added to the costs of major schemes.
“The costs of the Lower Thames Crossing will be overseen by the DfT,” stated a source familiar with the internal documents. The project has been classified as a “Tier 1” undertaking, signifying its status as “one of the largest, highest risk, novel and/or contentious” schemes currently underway. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander will have direct oversight.
The government’s broader strategy includes planning reforms aimed at streamlining the construction process and reducing the financial burden of wildlife protection measures. Reeves has emphasized the need to unlock economic growth, hoping to offset an estimated £30 billion shortfall in Treasury finances, with initiatives designed to facilitate both housing and infrastructure projects. Earlier this week, Reeves reportedly revealed she had intervened to approve a 20,000-home development stalled due to the presence of a rare snail.
Despite securing £590 million for initial excavation, surveys, and consultations, full funding for the Lower Thames Crossing remains contingent on finding a partner willing to contribute up to £2 billion in exchange for the right to implement a toll.Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin before the end of the decade. The crossing will be located east of the existing Dartford crossing, serving traffic from the M25 and key ports like Dover and Folkestone.
However, the shift in oversight has drawn criticism from environmental campaigners. They warn that the move could lead to overspending similar to the High Speed 2 (HS2) rail project and potentially allow for environmentally damaging developments to be approved without public scrutiny.
“Taking it outside of National Highways’ roads program and treating it as a stand-alone project, with a DfT-signed blank cheque, risks going the same way as HS2 with ballooning budgets and no accountability,” said Chris Todd, director of transport Action Network. Campaigners also argue the tunnel will result in the loss of vital habitats along the Kent and Essex coasts and contribute to increased carbon emissions without effectively addressing congestion.
Supporters of the project maintain that the new tunnel will alleviate traffic congestion in Dartford and provide a crucial link for commercial vehicles traveling between europe and the Midlands and northern England. Alexander previously stated the government was “finally getting on” with the crossing, emphasizing that the “crucial project” had been “stuck in planning limbo for far too long.”
National Highways will continue to be responsible for the development of the crossing and will publish cost breakdowns in its annual reports, though ultimate decisions regarding scope and funding will now rest with ministers. A Department for Transport spokesperson affirmed that the Lower Thames Crossing,”backed by £590m,is the most important road-building project in a generation – and will cut local congestion,better link up motorists and businesses in the Midlands and north with key ports in the south-east,and
