A NEW fly-through video has been released to show the proposed £8.2 billion Lower Thames Crossing connecting Essex and Kent.

National Highways, today, revealed a new video that illustrates the route of the Lower Thames Crossing.

This comes as the planning inspectorate opened the period for members of the public, stakeholders, and landowners to register to take part in the next stage of the planning process.

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The fly-through shows a bird’s eye view of the proposed Lower Thames Crossing, which would provide a reliable new connection between the M25 in south Essex and the A2 in Kent.

The design of the road has been shaped by the most comprehensive programme of consultation and engagement ever undertaken for a UK road scheme.

The proposed Lower Thames Crossing will almost double road capacity between Essex and Kent.

The video uses a 3D computer model of the new road, blended with real video footage to show how the route has been designed to sit sensitively in the landscape with 80 per cent of the road below ground level.

It shows the scale of the proposed planting and public open space, including two new public parks, seven green bridges, and more than one million extra trees.

Changes made to the design in Thurrock and presented in the project’s last consultation are also included in the fly-through, such as changes on the north bank of the Thames to make space for the Thames Freeport, and changes to the connection between the Orsett Cock roundabout to the A1089 to reduce traffic impacts on some roads in the area.

The last figure given for the proposed Lower Thames Crossing was £8.2 billion.

It will ease congestion on the Dartford Crossing, as well as help unlock the huge growth opportunity of the Thames estuary creating a reliable new connection between people and jobs, and businesses and their customers and suppliers.

Matt Palmer, executive director for the Lower Thames Crossing, said: “Our plans have been shaped by a comprehensive programme of consultation and will now be examined in detail by the government’s independent planning authority.

“I would like to thank members of the public and stakeholders for taking the time to give their views, both in the past and during this planning process.”