Reeves can tunnel to a growth victory with a new Lower Thames Crossing
Artist’s impression of the proposed Lower Thames Crossing (Image courtesy of National Highways)
4 min read
“The first thing you need to do is sort the Dartford Crossing” were the first words I’d hear door-knocking during the campaign.
Common to the rest of the country, the cost of living, NHS and housing are key issues in Dartford – but it is the crossing that unites people in my patch. The impact is barely believable for those who don’t live and work either side of the Thames. The tales roll into my inbox daily of doctor’s appointments missed by hours, people quitting jobs because of the stress of being frequently late, and firms refusing new business just two miles away because they can’t guarantee they’ll get to clients.
Rather than this being a tale of woe for one community, in one constituency, this is a national story holding growth in Britain back. It places a drag on our manufacturers and exporters, who rely on the crossing to get their goods from the Midlands and North down to the south-east ports and away to Europe.
This project is a golden opportunity to kickstart a raft of private investment
The Dartford Crossing is two tunnels and a bridge. One tunnel – designed in the 1930s and over 60 years old – is so antiquated that modern vehicles won’t fit through it. The other tunnel is shut every 15 minutes to escort ‘abnormal loads’ through. It’s the most congested part of our road network, but as the only way to cross the Thames east of London, it’s also the most strategically important. The last Labour government identified this problem in 2009, and yet 16 years later and millions lost to the economy every year, we still don’t have spade in the ground to sort it.
We have a shovel-ready solution – the Lower Thames Crossing, which would double road capacity across the Thames, create a new reliable alternative for freight and add billions to the economy. While my inbox is bursting with complaints about the existing crossing, it is packed with support for the Lower Thames Crossing. I have recently launched a business consortium in support of the project and already 100 businesses and business groups including the Port of Dover, British Chambers of Commerce and our biggest UK retailers have signed up – they want their voices heard in government. These business leaders know what is needed to generate growth and we should be listening to their calls – the Lower Thames Crossing must go ahead.
The Lower Thames Crossing is priced at around £8bn and much of that investment could come from the private sector, leaving scarce public funds to be spent elsewhere. The UK lags behind western economies in getting private investment into roads, less than one per cent in the UK, as opposed to 30 per cent plus in France and Germany. The business case is strong – you only have to look at the upwards of 150,000 vehicles that use Dartford daily to see that. A user charge is already baked into the plans, delivering a long-term return for investors. Ahead of an expected speech today by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on growth, this project is a golden opportunity to kickstart a raft of private investment into infrastructure the country needs.
Under the new Labour government, we can give infrastructure investors the confidence they need. With proven demand for the crossing, and a clear mechanism for charging for it, financial backers can have certainty they’ll get a return. The type of planning route the Lower Thames Crossing has gone down – a Development Consent Order – locks in the new crossing’s design. Unlike HS2, it’s not possible to go back to the drawing board, make the tunnels longer or shorten viaducts – giving cost and delivery certainty. With Labour’s strong majority and Rachel Reeves’ commitment to long-term economic growth, investors know they are dealing with a government that has made growth the keystone.
This government is serious about growth and securing private investment into infrastructure. The Lower Thames Crossing should be the first project out of the gate in making that a reality – my constituents and the country’s economy are relying on it.
Jim Dickson is Labour MP for Dartford
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