Projects · Transport
River Thames east of Gravesend (Kent) and Tilbury (Essex)·In developmentTransport
Lower Thames Crossing
- StageTunnels delivery partner appointed (Bouygues Travaux Publics and Murphy joint venture); tunnelling machine selected; construction to begin in 2026
- Next milestoneConstruction start; opening early 2030s
- Last checked1 November 2026
What has changed on this project, and when
- Next milestone: Construction start; opening early 2030s2 November 2026 · previously: Tunnel-boring machine build and delivery ahead of the autumn 2028 tunnel drive; opening early-to-mid 2030s
- Stage: Tunnels delivery partner appointed (Bouygues Travaux Publics and Murphy joint venture); tunnelling machine selected; construction to begin in 20262 November 2026 · previously: Spared in the July 2026 spending cuts; enabling works under way; tunnel-boring machine contractor appointed July 2026; tunnelling from autumn 2028
- Status: In development2 November 2026 · previously: At tender
- Value: Not disclosed2 November 2026 · previously: c.£9bn–£10bn reported estimate (DfT funding decision, Jun 2025)
- Next milestone: Tunnel-boring machine build and delivery ahead of the autumn 2028 tunnel drive; opening early-to-mid 2030s16 October 2026 · previously: Main construction start 2026; TBM contract award following Dec 2025 tender; opening early 2030s
- Stage: Spared in the July 2026 spending cuts; enabling works under way; tunnel-boring machine contractor appointed July 2026; tunnelling from autumn 202816 October 2026 · previously: Explicitly spared in July 2026 cuts; enabling works underway, TBM order placed 15 Jul 2026, main construction from 2028
More Transport projects
- East Midlands Gateway Phase 2South of East Midlands Airport, near M1 junction 24, Leicestershire
- M54 to M6 Link RoadM54 junction 1 to M6 junction 11, Staffordshire
- M3 Junction 9 ImprovementM3 junction 9, Winchester, Hampshire
- M5 Junction 10 Improvements SchemeM5 junction 10, between Tewkesbury and Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
- Intermodal Logistics Park NorthBounded by the M6, Winwick Lane and the Chat Moss railway line, North West England
- A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvementsNew A428 dual carriageway between the Black Cat roundabout (near St Neots) and Caxton Gibbet, Cambridgeshire/Bedfordshire
- A57 Link Roads (Mottram)New link roads at Mottram in Longdendale, Tameside, Greater Manchester (Trans-Pennine route to Sheffield)
- A417 Missing LinkA417 between Brockworth (A46) and Cowley, at the Air Balloon roundabout, near Birdlip, Gloucestershire
- Open the Map Explorer at this projectThe map
- Browse checked projects by sectorEvery project page
- See this week's changes on the mapFollow a sector or a project
The Wire is a free email every weekday morning. It brings you what regulators, government departments, network operators and developers have published, each item dated and linked to its source. Sign up and it lands in your inbox.