Proposals for a new crossing of the Thames to ease pressure on the existing Dartford Crossing have been updated.

Highways England says the whole of the route will now have three lanes in each direction, giving a 90% increase in capacity for traffic going between Kent and Essex.

The route will be 14.5 miles in length and include a 2.4 mile-long tunnel under the river. It will run from the M2 near Rochester to the M25 near South Ockendon.

The new crossing is expected to cut congestion at the existing crossing – which sees 50 million journeys annually – by 22% when it opens in 2025.

The latest version of the scheme will now be under consultation for ten weeks. The updated proposals for the Lower Thames Crossing include:

• approximately 14.5 miles (23km) of new roads connecting the tunnel to the existing road network
• three lanes in both directions with a maximum speed limit of 70mph
• improvements to the M25, A2 and A13, where the Lower Thames Crossing connects to these roads
• two 2.5 mile (4km) tunnels, one for southbound traffic, one for northbound traffic crossing beneath the river