Labour told to 'get on with the job' and roll out Lower Thames crossing after 13-year wait causes havoc for drivers

The proposed new road, which would connect Kent and Essex through a tunnel beneath the River Thames, has been slowly making progress over the past decade.

However, a decision on the project has now been delayed until May 2025, prompting fury from drivers who are still being forced to use the Dartford Tunnel, which is no stranger to delays.

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In one case, a fault in the Tunnel caused a plumber to miss out on a day's wages, while children with special educational needs were forced to miss school.

Jim Dickson, the Labour MP for Dartford, has called on the Government to “get on with the job” to help crack down on delays.

Speaking in Westminster Hall, the MP warned that drivers have been forced to deal with hefty delays and congestion as a result of the A282 Dartford Crossing which sees more than 160,000 vehicles use it each day.

Earlier this month, the Government said it needed more time to make a decision on the future of the scheme with Transport Secretary Louise Haigh stating it was "necessary" to extend the deadline for a decision until May 23, 2025.

Dickson told Westminster Hall: “It is worth reflecting on the impact of having only one single crossing – a single point of failure – over the Thames east of London, effectively creating the largest bottleneck in the UK.

“When it goes wrong… as it did earlier last week, it goes disastrously wrong. Last Monday, a major technical fault at the tunnel left Dartford at a complete standstill for nearly 30 hours while repairs were done to one of the two tunnels. Trips that should have taken 10 minutes took four or five hours. This has a real impact on my constituents’ lives.”

He warned that the Dartford Crossing has impacted residents getting to work, while “stifling” local trades and businesses.

Jen Craft, Labour MP for Thurrock, warned that the Lower Thames Crossing would only be beneficial for “at most five to 10 years” before returning back to the current traffic situation.

Meanwhile, Reform MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock James McMurdock, acknowledged that “something does need to be done” about the traffic.

However, he noted that the Lower Thames Crossing project was “not ambitious enough, given the tremendous impact it’s going to have on the way of life in Essex and given the very limited impact it’s going to have on actually solving its problem”.

In response, Dickson said: “I wouldn’t like us to go back to the drawing board and start this process again. As a Government of growth, as we are on this side of the chamber, we just now need to get on with the job and get it delivered.”

The new Lower Thames Crossing is estimated to help take more than 13 million vehicles away from Dartford each year and contribute £40 billion back to the UK economy through tolls.

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Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood said the Government recognised that transport infrastructure is “vital” for growth and that it plays a “critical role” in improving the national transport system.

She added: “I visited the Dartford Crossing myself recently and I appreciate how quickly queues can build and the impact that those have on local people and businesses.”