UK road project’s planning application runs to 359,000 pages

Impression of the Lower Thames Crossing tunnel entry

The Lower Thames Crossing planning application spans 359,000 pages and will be used to decide the future of the £10 billion (US$12.7 billion) project aimed at easing congestion on the capital’s orbital M25 motorway and enhancing transport links to and from southeast ports.

The proposed route would also feature the country’s longest road tunnel, beneath the River Thames.

The planning application is the culmination of a 15-year initiative and has become a historic milestone in the UK’s infrastructure planning history.

It has been reported that, placed end-to-end, the planning documents for the project would extend over 66 miles (106km) — nearly five times the length of the proposed 14.3 mile (23km) motorway itself.

High costs and delays

Now planning inspectors will prepare their recommendation on the project, before the UK’s transport secretary, Mark Harper, decides whether to grant a Development Consent Order.

The final decision on the Lower Thames Crossing will likely be made within the next six months.

National Highways, responsible for managing the strategic road network, has invested over £267 million (US$338 million) in the application alone, bringing overall spending on the project to £800 million (US$1 billion) before ground has been broken.

The UK government had previously paused the project for two years, citing rising costs, due to inflation in the construction sector. Now the crossing is unlikely to be completed before 2031, should the plans be approved.