National Highways awards Balfour Beatty Lower Thames Crossing Roads North of the Thames contract

Artist impression of A13, A1089 Lower Thames Crossing junction

National Highways has today (23 January 2023) announced that Balfour Beatty has been awarded the Roads North of the Thames contract on the proposed Lower Thames Crossing project.

The start of construction is subject to the project being granted a Development Consent Order and government’s final funding and investment decision.

The Lower Thames Crossing is a proposed new road between Kent and Essex through the longest road tunnels in the UK, beneath the river Thames.

The Roads North of the Thames contract is a two-stage design and build contract delivering the around 10 miles of new road from around 1km north of the Thames in Thurrock to Junction 29 of the M25 in the London Borough of Havering, including a number of new link roads and junctions to connect with the M25, A13 and A1089.

Katharina Ferguson, Lower Thames Crossing Procurement Director, said “Balfour Beatty will bring the best of UK construction to bare on this project. They share our commitment to driving carbon out of construction and maximise the benefits for local communities.”

Leo Quinn, Group Chief Executive of Balfour Beatty, said: “The Lower Thames Crossing is significant scheme – one that will stimulate local, regional and national economic growth, create employment opportunities and new, sustainable methods of construction for the future of our industry.

“Our deep domain knowledge and long-standing history in complex road construction, acquired through many years of successful delivery on behalf of National Highways, makes us ideally positioned to deliver this project to the highest standard.”

National Highways applied for a Development Consent Order for the Lower Thames Crossing in 2022, and in 2023 the proposals for the new road will be thoroughly examined by a panel of independent, government appointed experts.