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A two-mile road tunnel beneath the River Thames has been announced by the Government.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling revealed on Wednesday morning the preferred option for a new route to ease congestion at the Dartford Crossing.

Highways England had said in January last year that it supported the tunnel proposal, connecting Gravesend, Kent with Tilbury, Essex.

It will be the first new crossing of the Thames east of London since the Queen Elizabeth II bridge opened in 1991.

The tunnel will run from the end of the M2 near Rochester, cross the river to the east of Gravesend and join the M25 between junctions 29 and 30.

The project is expected to be completed by around 2025-2027 and has been estimated to cost between £4.3 billion and £5.9 billion.

The Government rejected the option of building a bridge or tunnel next to the existing Dartford Crossing.

The Department for Transport announced that a further £10 million will be used to improve traffic flow around the existing crossing, while £66 million is being invested by the Government to widen the nearby A13 Stanford-le-Hope bypass.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: "The new Lower Thames Crossing, and other improvements in and around Dartford and Thurrock announced today, will further strengthen our economy while also creating thousands of jobs.

"Our £23 billion investment into our roads is already making a difference, with schemes being completed across the country, including the M1 Catthorpe junction (in Leicestershire) and A556 at Knutsford (in Cheshire), cutting journey times for millions of motorists.

"The schemes announced today not only show we are taking decisions, we are planning upgrades and we are completing roads - making the lives of millions of motorists better."

Around 4.5 million heavy goods vehicles are predicted to use the new crossing in its first year.

The Dartford Crossing is used for 50 million journeys annually and is often the cause of frustration for motorists stuck in traffic jams.

AA president Edmund King said: "The case for greater road capacity across the Thames is overwhelming and overdue. There are half as many crossings of the Thames than there are across the Seine in Paris.

"The new crossing should help to spread the load, as well as bringing welcome regeneration to areas east of the Dartford Crossing.

"For traffic coming from the north-eastern section of the M25, this new route will give much better and more reliable access to the important port of Dover."

RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said: "Now that this long-awaited decision has been made, drivers will be keen to know when today's promise of shovels in the ground will actually deliver the capacity needed to ensure safe and reliable journeys."