Skanska is procuring for a range of subcontractors under its contract for the Kent Roads section of the Lower Thames Crossing.

The Kent Roads contract is one of the three main works packages on the £9bn major road project, which will see a new 4.2km tunnel under the Thames and roughly 20km of new supporting roads. The contract was valued at £450m when National Highways awarded it to Skanska in 2023, says New Civil Engineer. 

The project’s targets include recruiting  almost half (45%) of Skanska’s workforce from within 20 miles of the scheme, and  upskilling local people with new qualifications and training. The firm is also targetting spending £1 in every £3 of the construction budget with SMEs. The targets will be met, says Skanska, through a wide variety of programmes, including supply chain apprenticeships and other recruitment opportunities that give the widest and most inclusive access to the project as possible.

The Kent Roads section will connect the southern part of the A2/M2 route to the tunnel approach and includes the construction of Europe’s widest green bridge, 6km of new road and structures, a new public park and 12 miles of new or improved pathways for walkers, cyclists and horse riders.

National Highways is currently taking the Lower Thames Crossing scheme through the final stages of the Development Consent Order (planning) process. It is being designed to be the greenest road ever built in the UK and has been designated a Pathfinder project for championing carbon neutral construction.

With the project having been granted its development consent order (DCO) last month, the contractors are now mobilising their sites.

Expecting to start this autumn, these roles cover critical infrastructural elements essential for the successful delivery of the scheme, which is set to improve transport links in the region.

(Pic: Skanska)