More public cash to be pumped into Lower Thames Crossing project despite Chancellor's past assurances the government pot is dry
By Nub News Reporter 9th Jun 2026
DESPITE a pledge last year that the government was done on spending money on the Lower Thames Crossing proposal – it has been revealed that another £170m is to be thrown into the pot of a project that is more than £7 billion short of funding – with no immediate prospect of funding being found.
Last November Chancellor Rachel Reeves committed what she described as 'the final part' of public funding for the project, pumping in another £891m.
In the King's Speech last month the government announced it was intending to plough on with the controversial scheme and would soon belaying down details of how it will raise the cash. King Charles made no mention of any further government funding on top of the £3 billion and a bit already committed.
However, an investigation by the Guardian newspaper has revealed ministers have earmarked more than £170m extra to help build the Lower Thames Crossing road tunnel, fuelling concerns over the "spiralling" costs of one of the UK's largest planned infrastructure projects.
The proposed £11bn route under the Thames between Kent and Essex is already estimated to cost more each mile than the HS2 high-speed rail link from London to Birmingham.
The £174m of extra cash will be used to fund public works on both sides of the tunnel and will be found from existing budgets, the Department for Transport (DfT) said.
Last year the DfT took direct control of the Lower Thames Crossing project, forcing National Highways to relinquish its role as the main agency involved in planning and oversight.
A licence to run the new tunnel and the existing Dartford tunnel about sedven miles to the west is expected to be handed to a private consortium in 2029, offered in perpetuity and overseen by a regulator. The completion date for works is now scheduled for 2034.
The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, and the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, are both keen to press ahead with the project, which they have said is "vital" and will ease congestion on the M25.
However, the DfT confirmed it has yet to publish an "outline business case", which would usually be produced before officials embark on large-scale works.
The move to allocate extra funds to the project from the broader National Highways budget has prompted criticism, with campaigners accusing the DfT of siphoning money from the roads agency to boost spending on the tunnel without telling parliament.
Rebecca Lush, roads campaigner at the Transport Action Network accused the DfT of hunting for funds to feed a tunnel project "quickly running out of control".
She said: "At the autumn budget, the chancellor announced the 'final tranche' of public funds for the Lower Thames Crossing. Yet now we find out that the DfT have bunged another £174m towards this privatised road project, whilst refusing to publish the outline business case.
"The spiralling costs and secrecy have all the hallmarks of HS2, with LTC already costing more per mile than HS2. Whilst the government is nationalising the railways it is privatising our roads, demonstrating the utter incoherence in transport policy."
A DfT spokesperson said that the road tunnel was a vital infrastructure project, adding: "We have committed £3.1bn to the Lower Thames Crossing to date, including £891m to complete the publicly funded works needed to unlock private investment.
"While no decisions have been made on how users will be charged, any tolls will be regulated by an independent regulator to keep prices fair for drivers."
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