Have Your Say on New Thames Crossing
Highways England have started a consultation on a new river crossing connecting Kent and Essex.
The intention is to relieve the existing and projected congestion at the Dartford Crossing with a nearby new crossing.
The consultation is based on a River Crossing (Tunnel) from Rochester in Kent into Essex and then into one of three routes.
The preferred route of the Highways Agency is route 3 which would join the M25 between South and North Ockendon.
The proposed crossing would cost some £6 billion and be completed in 2027.
The crossing will be subject to a congestion charge, probably the same rate as the Dartford Crossing.
The consultation, and all the associated information, runs until 24th March and can be accessed HERE.
A copy of all consultation material (maps, etc) will be available to view in Upminster Library.
There will be a public information event with representatives of Highways England at Upminster Junior School on Monday 15th February (11am to 7pm).
Everyone is welcome to attend.
We shall be covering this important development in the Bulletin and will keep you updated, in the meantime please do ‘Have Your Say’.
I’m not too concerned but either option in ‘Option C’ which meets the A127 as traffic will not be aimed at Upminster, but will help in getting traffic away from the town if there’s ever an incident on the M25.
I am concerned about a new junction near South Ockendon, where there is numerous housing, and it is part of the motorway which is already overcrowded with junctions.
The important thing is to make sure the road is sympathetic to the countryside, residents, and that the road is designed effectively for traffic coming off the M25 and into Kent. No corners must be cut, except for the mess that is the Dartford Crossing and the A2/M25 junction.
Also this new road will not be of much use if it doesn’t eventually meet the M20, with provisions to use the M26 to get to get back on the M25!
The idea of a third crossing is needed ,down river is the only place it should go ,there are two reasons why it should be at that part of the river ,Firstly the A 130 coming from Chelmsford has been improved with the junction at sadlers farm modernised to take heavy lorrys heading for the new port so the road structure is already in place for a bridge next to the port London side and we have seen how many lorrys go that way to and from dover and the channel tunnel this last year gone by .Secondly we need to draw away traffic away from Dartford so the A 130 up the A13 is the answer ,we cannot have a bridge further down river because of the new large container ships size wise and height or a tunnel as we have already taken 14 feet out of the river bed for the new large ships, any more and the ammo ship will move and be a danger to lives in the area,The answer is clear draw traffic away from dartford tunnel before it gets there ,the road cannot take it ,take the lorrys off another way and the problem is solved
A new crossing would be totally unproductive and very destructive. More roads only encourage more vehicles. At this time of austerity there are far more pressing and urgently required areas that this amount of money would greatly help in. Housing, the NHS, policing, and education. Green belt land, sites of historic and scientific interest should be protected. The plans for this disastrous crossing destroys what is left of the lungs of London to the east and will add further to the air pollution that is already breaking international law.