NAO Moves Toward Audit of the £11 bn Lower Thames Crossing

The National Audit Office (NAO) announced that it will “examine and report on the Lower Thames Crossing,” a £11 bn twin-tunnel project linking Kent and Essex. NAO head Gareth Davies wrote to campaigners on 6 July that his team is “tracking activity on the programme” and will decide “the right timing for audit work.” The watchdog’s move follows a letter from the Transport Action Network (TAN) earlier this year requesting an investigation.

The Guardian

The 2.6-mile tunnel is intended to ease congestion on the Dartford Crossing and create a strategic trade route between the South East, the Midlands and the North. Ministers have pledged £3.1 bn for construction, with the remainder to be financed by the private sector. An additional £174 m of public money was allocated last month, bringing total pre-construction spending to over £1 bn. The licence for operating the new tunnel and the existing Dartford tunnel is slated for a private consortium in 2029, with completion targeted for 2034. The scheme was rescued from cuts linked to a £15 bn defence spending increase under Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The Guardian

The NAO described the crossing as “a significant programme and is of high parliamentary and public interest,” noting that a work-in-progress notice will be posted once the audit begins. A Department for Transport spokesperson emphasized that the NAO “routinely reports on major government investments” and argued that “the cost-per-mile comparison to HS2 is misleading – these are entirely different projects with different objectives.” The spokesperson added that “doing nothing at Dartford is simply not an option.”

The Guardian

Transport Action Network chief executive Abby Coften warned that “billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money are being spent for just five years’ relief at Dartford” and that toll revenues will be “gifted to private investors, and lost to the exchequer.” She urged that the investigation be “fast-tracked before more public funds are wasted,” likening the situation to the HS2 project but noting that LTC “costs more per mile and has no completed business case.”

The Guardian

• “I anticipate that I will examine and report on the Lower Thames Crossing. My teams are tracking activity on the programme. This will inform my decision on the right timing for audit work.” — Gareth Davies, NAO head

The Guardian

• “Abby Coften, the TAN chief executive, said: “We’re pleased the NAO agrees with us that the privatised Lower Thames Crossing (LTC) needs investigating.” — Abby Coften, TAN chief executive

The Guardian

• “The cost-per-mile comparison to HS2 is misleading - these are entirely different projects with different objectives.” — Department for Transport spokesperson

The Guardian

• “ An NAO spokesperson said: “The Lower Thames Crossing is a significant programme and is of high parliamentary and public interest.” — NAO spokesperson

The Guardian