The management and oversight of the Lower Thames Crossing will stay with National Highways, according to its Chief Executive, Nick Harris.

Speaking at Highways UK 2025 today, Mr Harris said that reports earlier in the week suggesting that the oversight and management of the Lower Thames Crossing will move to the DfT, were not correct..

He said: “Despite reports earlier this week that the management of the Lower Thames Crossing project will move to the DfT, it won’t, it will stay with us. But, we will continue to work closely with the DfT and the Treasury to ensure the project is delivered effectively and they can still make the decisions they need to on it.”

Also in his keynote speech, Mr Harris said he was pleased to finally be able to talk about RIS3 and said the settlement of nearly £25 billion has brought ‘confidence and clarity’ to the sector. “The funding doesn’t include the money being invested in the Lower Thames Crossing and enables us to cover the major schemes we want to deliver during that period as well as more emphasis on renewing and maintaining what we have already to an increasingly higher standard, an even more safely and reliably, as well as important national projects that include housing. connectivity and the environment.”

Mr Harris said that the next few years would also be about improving delivery through investment in more technology and innovation, including best use of AI, to help deliver the roads of the future.

You can hear more from Nick Harris in our exclusive interview with him on today’s Highways UK, Highways Voices podcast published later.

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