Lower Thames Crossing - Highways England

The Lower Thames Crossing is part of the biggest investment in the country’s road network for a generation and an essential component in the UK’s future transport infrastructure. It will boost local, regional and national economies, while offering new connections, better journeys and fewer delays.

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Our Development Consent Order

Design and build

Lower Thames Crossing route

Communities

Latest update

Seeking permission to build and operate the Lower Thames Crossing

The Lower Thames Crossing is a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), which are large, complex infrastructure projects that benefit the entire country.

To get permission to build and operate the new crossing, we must seek consent through a special planning process and be awarded a Development Consent Order (DCO) from the government's independent planning authority, the Planning Inspectorate.