AN MP has slammed the Government’s failure to to make a decisive announcement over the future of the £9billion Lower Thames Crossing.

Friday was the statutory deadline for whether to approve the 14.3-mile long Lower Thames Crossing, but the Department for Transport (DfT) said an update will be given “in due course”.

Work on the project has been ongoing since 2009, and more than £800 million of taxpayers’ money has been spent on planning.

The initial deadline for a decision on whether to grant a development consent order enabling National Highways to build the road was scheduled for June 20, but was delayed until Friday because of the general election.

James McMurdock, MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock, has condemned the government’s lack of action.

He said: “This is a textbook case of kicking the can down the road. After 15 years of planning and £800 million spent, we still have no clear decision. The longer the delays, the higher the costs for the taxpayer, and yet no real progress has been made.”

Mr Murdock added: “The government must explore alternatives, including rail and public transport improvements, which would provide a longer-lasting solution to the region’s connectivity challenges. We owe it to future generations to ensure that public funds are spent wisely, and this ongoing indecision is failing both the taxpayer and the environment.”

In the summer, Chancellor Rachel Reeves cancelled several major infrastructure projects, to save billions of pounds but the crossing was not.

Transport Action Network said the project needs to be scrapped as soon as possible. Speaking on Friday, director Chris Todd, said: “The Lower Thames Crossing just needs to be put out of its misery. Even if the scheme had been approved today, it’s unlikely it would have been open for traffic before 2032 and then was predicted to only give five years relief at Dartford.”

The new road would link the A2 and M2 in Kent via a 2.6 mile tunnel to the A13 in Thurrock and junction 29 of the M25. National Highways says congestion would reduce at the Dartford Crossing by 20 per cent. In Essex, the three-lane dual carriageway would be constructed on green belt north of South Ockendon.

Thurrock MP Jen Craft warned it “would be a disaster for Thurrock on an environmental and a social level and even on the best possible estimates will not alleviate the issues caused by congestion on the current Dartford Crossing”.

Thurrock Council has long been opposed but the leader of Dartford Council in Kent is in favour.