The Guardian: UK ministers take control of £10bn Lower Thames Crossing
Here’s the gist of the below-linked article:
🔹 Control moved to DfT: Ministers have taken oversight of the £10bn Lower Thames Crossing away from National Highways and handed it to the Department for Transport (DfT), citing the project’s size, risk and desire to avoid overruns. Transport secretary Heidi Alexander will oversee it.
The Guardian
🔹 National Highways sidelined (but not gone): NH will “focus on managing, maintaining and renewing the network.” It will still do development work and report costs annually, but scope and funding decisions now sit with ministers.
The Guardian
🔹 Money + procurement status: The scheme has final planning consent and £590m for early works. Balfour Beatty has a £1.2bn contract for connecting roads. Government is seeking a private partner to chip in up to £2bn (likely in exchange for toll rights). Full funding is not yet locked; construction is expected to start before the end of the decade.
The Guardian
🔹 Treasury push & planning reforms: Chancellor Rachel Reeves wants tighter central control and faster delivery, including curbing delays from wildlife protections; the shift reflects that approach.
The Guardian
🔹 Supporters’ case: The tunnel would ease Dartford congestion, improve resilience for M25/Dover–Folkestone freight flows, and help maintenance on existing tunnels.
The Guardian
🔹 Critics’ warnings: Campaigners say centralising control risks HS2-style overruns, “blank cheque” decision-making, habitat loss on the Kent/Essex shores, more carbon, and little relief for congestion.
