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Widespread media coverage for latest plans for new Lower Thames Crossing

November, 2017

Kent-based PR and communications agency Maxim has helped engage with business and secure strong media coverage for the latest design for the new Lower Thames Crossing. Maxim Director Andrew Metcalf explains.

It is fantastic to be part of what I truly believe will be something magnificent for Kent, Essex and UK Plc. We’ve been working alongside the team from the South East Local Enterprise Partnership and Highways England, and this week the latest plans for the new Lower Thames Crossing were revealed, showing that it will be three lanes in both directions between Kent and Essex.

At an event organised by the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP), senior representatives from business and local authorities saw Highways England provide an animated fly-through of the 13-mile route connecting the M25 in Essex and the A2 in Kent.

The £4.4 - £6.2 billion crossing east of Gravesend and Tilbury is expected to provide £8 billion in economic benefits, along with the creation of 6,000 jobs and training opportunities. It will also create prospects for further growth in housing, and support international trade by connecting to the Port of Tilbury and improving transport links to the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel in Kent.

The SELEP ‘Robots, Routes, Revenue’ event welcomed Tim Jones, Highways England Project Director for the Lower Thames Crossing, who provided an update including recent route design changes.

Maxim secured widespread press coverage from BBC South East, ITV Meridian, KentOnline, KMTV, Kent Live, the Thurrock Gazette, The Enquirer and Radio Essex

So what will it mean for businesses?

The Lower Thames Crossing will be the UK’s largest road scheme project and add an extra 70 per cent traffic capacity across the Thames east of London. It will deliver the largest diameter road tunnel in the UK and ease the pressure on the existing Dartford Crossing.

The current Dartford Crossing handles 55 million journeys a year, six million more than it was designed for and suffers closures almost every day due to traffic incidents.

Supporting growth in Essex

The Lower Thames Crossing design updates in Essex will see changes to the proposed junction with the M25 between junctions 29 and 30. It aims to provide a safer junction with greater capacity that also blends better with the local landscape.

The junction of the A13 has also been redesigned to improve traffic flows and the junction with the A128 has been removed. Concerns from the local community about the effects of a junction at Orsett Cock on local roads and traffic levels has led to changes to the link to the A13.

A new junction and link road at Tilbury is included in the proposals following widespread support for the investment in order to boost the local and regional economy by improving the connections to the Port of Tilbury. Highways England believes the junction changes proposed for Tilbury will reduce HGV traffic on local roads.

Supporting growth in Kent

Highways England is also proposing that the route between the A13 in Essex and A2 in Kent is three lanes in both directions and through the tunnels. This will involve widening the A2 to junction 1 of the M2 near Shorne to improve traffic flows.

The proposed junction with the A226 has also been removed following feedback from residents and businesses that it would increase local traffic in the area.

Further information on the Highways England design update can be found at www.lowerthamescrossing.co.uk
 

Andrew Metcalf - Director

Andrew Metcalf

Maxim / Managing Director

posted in: maxim/client news, media relations,

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