Lower Thames Crossing development stuck in limbo
Key Points
- The Lower Thames Crossing is a new road that will connect Kent and Essex through a tunnel beneath the River Thames.
- Property group Balfour Beatty has confirmed that it is delivering enabling works on the new Lower Thames Crossing, but that main construction on the development has stalled.
- Balfour Beatty was awarded £1.2 billion of work on the crossing, but it is only one of several developers working on the project.
- Government spending on roads is tilting towards maintenance rather than new developments.
Property group Balfour Beatty has confirmed that it is delivering enabling works on the new Lower Thames Crossing, but that main construction on the development has stalled until private financing is secured.
The Lower Thames Crossing is a new road that will connect Kent and Essex through a tunnel beneath the River Thames.
The new route is expected to almost double road capacity over the river east of London to reduce congestion and give millions of people more choice on where they live, work and spend their time.
The first tunnel opened more than 60 years ago but despite a second tunnel and a bridge being added, it still cannot keep up with unprecedented demand. Designed to handle 135,000 vehicles a day, it now averages 150,000 a day and requires a dedicated team to manage it around the clock.
The huge numbers of vehicles that use it each day make it one of the country’s most unreliable roads, causing misery for millions of motorists and acting as a handbrake on the economy.
Balfour Beatty was awarded £1.2 billion of work on the crossing, but it is only one of several developers working on the project.
In its half-year results for the six months to 26 June published on Wednesday (12 August), the group noted that demand across UK transport was robust, but noted that the timing and pace of future investment remains uncertain – particularly for larger schemes.
It added that government spending on roads was tilting towards maintenance rather than new developments, with it UK Construction order book standing at £8.9 billion at the the half year mark – unchanged from last year.
