Major road projects to be built 'at pace' as King's Speech confirms new plans for Lower Thames Crossing

Drivers across the UK will see new roads being built "at pace" in the near future, including the Lower Thames Crossing, after the measures were confirmed during the King's Speech this morning.

From the House of Lords, King Charles outlined the financial, social and investment plans from Sir Keir Starmer and his Labour Government.

At the start of the speech, King Charles acknowledged the "dangerous and volatile world" and how it could threaten the UK.

Alongside new measures for infrastructure projects, the King confirmed that roads would be "built at pace", including the Lower Thames Crossing.

The Lower Thames Crossing will connect Kent and Essex and aims to slash traffic rates that continue to impact the Dartford Crossing and roads near London.

Since opening more than 60 years ago, the Dartford Crossing has exploded in popularity, with congestion estimated to cost the UK more than £200million every year in time lost due to traffic.

While it was only designed to handle around 135,000 vehicles a day, it now averages 150,000 a day, which can increase further at certain busier times.

The Lower Thames Crossing will almost double the current road capacity across the Thames east of London and ease pressure on the Dartford Crossing.

Major construction and tunnelling will begin in 2028, while work to protect the area's utility supplies and wildlife will be carried out before then.

It follows the Government's decision to invest almost £900million to complete the publicly funded works for the Lower Thames Crossing.

The project will be taken forward on the basis of the Regulated Asset Base model, before formal market engagement will launch this year.

The funding will apply in 2027-28 and 2028-29, with National Highways estimating that the Lower Thames Crossing will open fully between 2032 and 2034.

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