The momentum is quickly growing on National Highway’s Lower Thames Crossing, with the process of obtaining one of the world’s most advanced tunnelling machines now underway.
The step forward follows last week’s Budget announcement, in which the Chancellor committed £891 million to the new road linking Kent and Essex. The Rt Hon Rachel Reeves MP hailed the scheme as an example of infrastructure “that is the backbone of economic growth across our country”.
Government backing will allow construction to begin next year and unlock billions in private sector investment to complete the programme.
In the wake of the funding commitment, tunnelling partner Bouygues Travaux Publics Murphy Joint Venture has now launched the procurement process, inviting specialist suppliers to tender for the construction of the giant machine.
The Lower Thames Crossing – delivered by National Highways – is set to become the first major UK infrastructure project to achieve carbon-neutral construction. Its low-carbon design uses a single tunnel boring machine to excavate both the northbound and southbound tunnels, reducing emissions and cost without extending build time.
At 16.4 metres in diameter, the machine will carve out one of the world’s widest road tunnels, accommodating three lanes in each direction and doubling road capacity east of London. Stretching more than four kilometres, it will also become the longest road tunnel in the UK.
Procurement is expected to conclude next year, with excavation scheduled to begin in 2028. Work on the northern tunnel entrance – where the machine will start its underground journey – will begin next summer.
The 110-metre-long, 26-metre-deep launch chamber will sit within a purpose-built worksite housing a temporary factory to manufacture the concrete tunnel linings. Once complete, the structure will disappear beneath Tilbury Fields, a new landscaped park overlooking the Thames near Tilbury Docks.
Roads and Buses Minister Simon Lightwood said:
“The launch of the procurement process for one of Europe’s largest tunnelling machines marks a major step forward for this transformational project, backed by £891 million in the Budget which demonstrates this Government’s determination to deliver the infrastructure our economy needs to grow.
“By unlocking vital capacity across the Thames, the Lower Thames Crossing will relieve congestion at Dartford and create better connections between our ports, manufacturing centres and communities, but also be a key driver of jobs, growth and opportunity.”
Matt Palmer, Executive Director of the Lower Thames Crossing, added:
“The search for our giant tunnel boring machine is now on, putting us on track to open the Lower Thames Crossing in the early 2030s. We’re a step closer to delivering this vital piece of infrastructure, that will improve the journeys for millions and drive growth by creating jobs and new opportunities for business and trade.”
Preparatory works are already under way along the route, including ecological and archaeological surveys, utility diversions and the creation of new habitats for wildlife.
The Lower Thames Crossing aims to become Britain’s greenest road. Excavated material will form two new public parks, keeping more than 470,000 lorry movements off local roads and cutting millions of tonnes of carbon. The scheme will deliver six times more green space than road, with nearly 40 miles of new and upgraded walking, cycling and horse-riding routes.
A new community woodland at Hole Farm near Brentwood will open next year, alongside a wetland for migratory birds on the Thames estuary. Around 80% of the new route will be in tunnels, cuttings or behind embankments to reduce noise and visual impact and safeguard local habitats.
The project, which received planning consent in March 2025, is expected to ease pressure at Dartford and strengthen connections between ports in the South East, the Midlands and the North. The new road is scheduled to open in the early 2030s.
