More than 26,000 people have had their say on proposals for a major new Thames Crossing to link Kent and Essex, as the ten-week consultation ended on Thursday,

The number of responses is a record for a consultation of its type, and marks the importance of an alternative Thames Crossing to relieve congestion at Dartford.

The Lower Thames Crossing is Britain’s biggest road project since the M25 was built and the consultation was the latest chance for people to help shape the once-in-a-generation opportunities that the crossing will provide.

The new crossing will nearly double road capacity across the river Thames and almost halve northbound journey times at Dartford Crossing when it opens to traffic in 2027.

Highways England began the country’s most comprehensive consultation into a roads project in October, hosting 60 events which nearly 15,000 people attended.

These events have been in addition to the wide ranging online consultation, which has seen around 26,000 replies come in.

The vast majority of responses so far have been online, with people from every corner of the UK engaging with the project, demonstrating how important the multi-billion pound scheme will be.

Tim Jones, project director for Lower Thames Crossing said: “The Lower Thames Crossing consultation is arguably the most significant that has ever been held into a UK road scheme and we have had an excellent response with more than 26,000 people sharing their views. We have endeavoured to ensure that everyone who has an interest has had the chance to have their say so that we can take those views to develop the best possible project.”