NEW images released by National Highways today (Tuesday 10 June) highlight how putting low-carbon construction and nature at the heart of its design is shaping the look and feel of the new road.

Designed to be Britain’s greenest road, the Lower Thames Crossing has taken a new approach to road design and building by cutting construction carbon and restoring nature. The project will create six times more green space than road, including one million new trees, a new community woodland, two new public parks, and seven green bridges that will blend the road into the landscape and connect local communities to the countryside.

Today, a new set of images has been released showing how this innovative approach is transforming how the road will look and feel. Some of the innovations being explored are:

Low carbon footbridge – a new standard of footbridge design that eliminates the need for concrete and minimises the use of steel, thereby reducing carbon emissions. These innovative bridges could be used on roads right across the country to create safer, greener crossings.

Green bridges – Seven new green bridges – more than doubling the number currently in Britain – including Europe’s widest, will connect existing and new habitats. These crossings will make it easier and safer for both people and wildlife to move through green spaces.

The Lower Thames Crossing, a new road linking Kent and Essex, is one of Britain’s leading economic infrastructure projects. It will drive growth by tackling congestion at the Dartford Crossing and providing a new reliable link between the ports of the south-east, the Midlands and the North. The project includes 14.3 miles of new road and Britain’s longest road tunnel, a 2.6-mile twin-bore tunnel beneath the River Thames.

Pre-fabricated bridges – built in an offsite facility using low-carbon methods, these bridges are quicker and easier to install on site. This approach will reduce disruption to local communities, traffic and the environment.

80% of the route – Most of the route will be in a tunnel or hidden behind landscaped embankments and mounds, helping it blend into the countryside and green spaces.

Gantries – an innovative, low-impact design uses less steel and concrete to reduce the visual impact and cut carbon, while maintaining strength and durability, helping build a more sustainable Lower Thames Crossing and could be used across Britain’s road network.

The project was given planning permission by the government in March following years of consultation and design development.

The images will be showcased at a series of community events across Kent, Essex and Havering starting tomorrow, 11 June. Visitors will be able to speak to the team building the new road and learn when and where upcoming surveys and enabling works will take place. The main construction work could start as early as 2026, with the road opening in the early 2030s.