Ministers take control of Thames tunnel construction to avoid delays

Ministers have stripped the government's road-building agency of responsibility for a £10bn tunnel under the Thames in a drive by the cabinet to take tight control over important infrastructure projects for fear of cost overruns and delays.

- Phillip Inman

Oversight of the Lower Thames Crossing, Britain's largest planned infrastructure project, has been transferred from National Highways to the Department for Transport (DfT).

Internal consultation documents, seen by the Guardian, say the costs of the Lower Thames Crossing will be overseen by the DfT, while National Highways focuses on “managing, maintaining and renewing” it.

However, campaigners say the move could in fact lead to HS2-levels of overspending, with ministers operating behind closed doors to quietly approve developments that would harm the environment.