Freight Community Should Sign Up to Consultation Which Closes in March
UK – In a recent story we gave full details of the proposals for the Thames Lower Crossing, a major development in the life of the river as, of all the mass of tunnels and bridges which traverse the waterway, this will be the nearest to the sea and therefore presumably the longest. Now, not only can you have your say on the development, but gain access to a host of information including facts on details ranging from biodiversity and cultural heritage, to traffic modelling and concerns about compulsory purchases. As well as contributing to the consultation and learning the current situation individuals and road haulage operators can receive regular emails giving up to date information.
As for the location of the new crossing, the big money is on Option C, a tunnel running from the East of Tilbury Power Station in Essex to the aptly named Chalk, near Gravesend in Kent. With the recent delays at the Queen Elizabeth Bridge due to gales, plus the successful progress of London’s Crossrail development and the ongoing success of the original subsurface Dartford crossings, opened in 1963 and 1980 respectively, a sizeable tunnel would seem the logical option, cost permitting.
Highways England which is running the project, points out that these existing upriver crossings already handle 50 million vehicles a year and believe that, not only will traffic volumes rise substantially by the time a new crossing can be completed, but that, as with the M25, the very existence of the new infrastructure will lead to a further increase in traffic levels.
Highways England says this crossing, only the second one East of London, could transform the region, stimulating growth with more housing and jobs locally. With the upriver crossings closed partially or even fully over 300 times annually due to accidents and weather conditions it takes normally 3 to 5 hours to clear the backlog of traffic, a fact that is likely only to worsen with time despite the toll barriers now having been removed and all payments collected electronically (not a system universally welcomed by those unfamiliar with the new rules).
25% of all current river crossings at Dartford are made by commercial vehicles, both HGVs and light goods, so this is of no little importance to the road freight community, particularly as an artery from Dover and Folkestone and with the rise of the new deep water container port Thames Gateway plus the continuing influence of Tilbury Docks and Thamesport.
The Public Consultation is open to all until March 24 and can be accessed here.
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