UK spending watchdog to investigate Lower Thames Crossing project
13 reported
The UK’s National Audit Office (NAO) has indicated it will investigate the Lower Thames Crossing, an £11bn road tunnel project between Kent and Essex. NAO head Gareth Davies informed campaigners in a letter dated July 6 that his teams are already tracking the program and will decide on the timing for audit work. The project, which ministers committed to this month after being spared from infrastructure cuts, is estimated to cost more per mile than the HS2 high-speed rail link. The government has committed £3.1bn to construction, with the rest expected from the private sector. Campaign group Transport Action Network (TAN) had called for the investigation, citing rising costs and concerns over carbon emissions. The Department for Transport defended the project, stating it will reduce congestion and boost economic growth.
What’s reported
The NAO plans to “examine and report” on the Lower Thames Crossing, an £11bn road tunnel between Kent and Essex.
NAO head Gareth Davies wrote to campaigners on July 6 that teams are tracking the program to decide audit timing.
Ministers committed to the project this month after it was spared from billions in infrastructure cuts to fund a £15bn increase in defence spending.
£174m of additional public money was made available last month for the scheme.
The government has committed £3.1bn to construction of the twin 2.6-mile tunnel, with the rest expected from private sector financing.
Over £1bn has been spent before any building work starts.
A licence to run the new tunnel and existing Dartford tunnel is expected to be handed to a private consortium in 2029, offered in perpetuity.
Completion is scheduled for 2034.
The Department for Transport took direct control of the project last year, removing National Highways from its main planning and oversight role.
Transport Action Network (TAN) wrote to the NAO earlier this year calling for an investigation.
TAN chief executive Abby Coften said the project “needs investigating” and that “billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money are being spent for just five years’ relief at Dartford.”
An NAO spokesperson said the project is “of high parliamentary and public interest” and that a work-in-progress notice will be published once work begins.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said the cost-per-mile comparison to HS2 is “misleading” and that “doing nothing at Dartford is simply not an option.”
Key figures
Gareth Davies, head of the National Audit Office (NAO)
Abby Coften, chief executive of Transport Action Network (TAN)
Keir Starmer, mentioned as having earmarked infrastructure cuts for defence spending
Andy Burnham, mentioned as incoming prime minister
Sources: The Guardian
