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Written question asked by James McMurdock (Independent (affiliation)) on Tuesday, 14 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 16 July 2026. It was answered by Simon Lightwood (Labour) on Friday, 17 July 2026 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Lower Thames Crossing: Road Traffic Control

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the capacity of the surrounding road network to accommodate diverted traffic following an unplanned closure of the Lower Thames Crossing.

Answer

The Lower Thames Crossing will be operated as an integrated part of the Strategic Road Network (SRN). Incident response plans will be developed with local authorities and emergency services during construction and published before opening. These will cover tunnel systems, roadside technology and traffic management across the wider network, consistent with National Highways’ coordinated SRN approach, including the 2021 CLEAR Keep Traffic Moving incident management plan agreed with emergency services. They will work with key responders to minimise incident impacts through an integrated and coordinated approach across the SRN, which will also apply to the Lower Thames Crossing.

Drivers would be informed of closures through signs and signals across the wider network and through channels such as sat nav, in-car systems, social media, press and radio, supporting informed journey decisions.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
18946
Session
2026-27
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Road traffic control Lower Thames crossing
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk