Government promises £590 million for new Thames crossing

A massive £590 million has been promised by the government to start construction of the Lower Thames Crossing as part of a £1 billion package to repair bridges, roads and tunnels.

Across Great Britain, around 3,000 bridges are currently unable to support the heaviest vehicles, restricting access for agricultural and freight transport and slowing down journey times. The Structures Fund aims to ensure other transport infrastructure is both more resilient to extreme weather events and to the demands of modern transport.

The Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said: “When it comes to investing in Britain’s renewal, we’re going all in by going up against the painful disruption of closed bridges, crossings and flyovers and ensure they’re fit to serve working people for decades to come.

“This investment also goes even further and faster to spread growth by providing critical funding to take forward the Lower Thames Crossing – not just boosting connectivity in the southeast, but ensuring a smoother, less congested passage of vital goods from Europe to our regions.”

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said the Lower Thames Crossing had been ‘stuck in planning limbo for far too long’. She said: “This project is essential for improving the resilience of a key freight route and is critical to our long-term trade with Europe. It will speed up the movement of goods from southeast England to the Midlands and the north, crucial to thousands of jobs and businesses.”

Declan Pang, director of public affairs and policy for England at the Road Haulage Association (RHA), welcomed the funding announcement. He said: “This pledge is a sign of the continuing commitment to one of the most transformative highways schemes in the country which will bring about significant benefits for our industry and the wider economy.”

Kevin Green, policy director at Logistics UK, added: “It is imperative that the Government also sets out a plan for providing and securing the full funding required to complete the project – our members deserve to be able to deliver efficiently for the industry they support, so that the economy can benefit.”

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