Lower Thames Crossing

Lower Thames Crossing

View gallery (1)

Scheme Type

tunnel and associated link roads

On road(s)

A122

The Lower Thames Crossing is a planned new crossing designed to relieve the Dartford Crossing.

2013 shortlist

In the original 2013 shortlist there were three consultation options:

Option A : Improve the existing Dartford Crossing

Option B : A new route, going from the A2 at Bean Interchange to the A1089 at Tilbury. This route was more local in scope than the alternative and was dropped from the list of options on 15th July 2014, when Consultation reponses were published

Option C : A longer route, going from the A2/M2 at M2 Junction 1 to the M25 at Ockendon, with some possible local junctions en route, such as the A13. This would serve strategic traffic far better than the other option. There is also the additional option of upgrading the A229 between the M20 and M2.

2016 shortlist

In 2016, a second shortlist and consultation occurred.

Option A became Route 1
A modified variant of Option B became Route 2
Option C became Route 3
And a new proposal was made, called Route 4, which was similar to the Option C (south of the river), but north of the river it followed a longer route, joining with the A127 and interchanging with the M25 at an upgraded Cranham Interchange junction.

Route decision

In April 2017, the preferred route was announced following consultation; which is a variant of the original Option C.

The northern section would meet the M25 at a new interchange at Ockendon.
It would cross the A13 at Baker Street Interchange, with a spur providing access to the new crossing linking to the Orsett Cock
Dual two lane bored tunnels would be constructed under the Thames, with provision for vehicles restricted at Dartford and space provided to allow a third lane to be opened at a later date.
The west variant of the route, meeting the A2 at a new junction between Marling Cross and Cobham Junction.
Improvements to the A228 are not being considered under this scheme.

2018 Consultation

In October 2018 a new consultation on a revised route opened. Changes made from the April 2017 route are:

The whole route as D3 (except for within the major junctions) and with motorway status.
Improvements to the M25 tie in and Junction 29 to reduce visual impact and provide more capacity
Avoiding the landfill site at Ockendon to reduce maintenance impact, and changing the Mardyke crossing to be partially a viaduct to have less impact on the flood plain
Baker Street Interchange redesigned
Moving the route near Chadwell St Mary 80m away from the village
Addition of a junction to provide access to a service area, and deal with incidents in the tunnel
Extension of the tunnel to a portal south of the A226 (and thus no junction with that road)
Redesign of the A2 tie-in: the junction, the addition of parallel roads to serve local traffic and reduce weaving, and the widening of the M2 through junction 1

2020 Consultation

Would be an "all-purpose trunk road" rather than a motorway.
Removed the MSA and associated new junction, emergency access and facilities would remain.
DCO was submitted but withdrawn soon after. DCO to be submitted early 2021
A DCO document referred to the project as the A122