Major businesses have thrown their weight behind a fresh bid to get the stalled £9billion Lower Thames Crossing proposals over the line.

Dartford-based logistics giant Europa Worldwide Group has vocalised its support once again for the major infrastructure project ahead of so-called “Frantic Friday”, when commuter traffic mixes with the festive getaway.

Due to Christmas falling on a Wednesday this year, the firm is predicting congestion challenges on Friday (December 20) - two days earlier than 2023.

With many firms expecting a more than 50 per cent increase in the volume of deliveries, this will be particularly challenging at key pinch points such as the Dartford Crossing where Europa’s 1Hub’ – the largest European groupage hub in the UK – is based.

On this day, Europa will move unprecedented levels of freight across the country, through its Dartford facility to get goods to customers ahead of Christmas.

Over the years the freight specialist has seen trade seriously hampered by delays at the tunnel.

It sees the Lower Thames Crossing - a proposed 14.3-mile stretch of road linking the M2 near Gravesend, under the River Thames, to the M25 - as a “significant lifeline” which could help lighten the load at the existing crossing in Dartford.

Kirsty Dean, marketing and communications director at Europa Worldwide Group, said: “We have noticed the pre-Christmas congestion stress starting as early as Thursday 12th December with significant congestion around the Dartford area causing delays.

“On a normal day, we can have more than 200 truck movements every 24 hours in and out of Dartford. So, any delays over the Dartford Crossing during periods of high demand really puts pressure on our local infrastructure.

“This pressure can cause thousands of pounds worth of delays for us, our customers and British business.

“The higher the demand for logistics services needed to move goods ahead of Christmas closures, the more freight vehicles are needed to get those goods to their destinations”.

A decision on whether plans for the proposed Lower Thames Crossing will go ahead was delayed for the third time in October.

Then Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said in a written statement to Parliament it was “necessary” to extend the deadline for a decision on the controversial route.

With Dartford the hub of freight traffic coming in from the continent, Europa believes the new £9bn tunnel link could help alleviate the pain suffered daily - both for businesses and motorists.

“I see it as a real stifler of growth,” adds Kirsty. “Not just for Europa but for our customers and British business as whole.”

"Everything comes in from Dover across that Crossing. When the Dartford Crossing is congested, it causes major issues for all of us in the UK.

"So for us, the Lower Thames Corssing is an absolutely critical piece of infrastructure that we need, not just for the local Dartford area but the whole of the UK.”

And it’s not the impact on business but people as well.

“This doesn’t account for the personal cost to people in the area, who are having to spend extra hours on the road and fewer hours with their families,” she added.

“It’s not uncommon for members of our 367-strong team to have difficulty with things like school pickups and drop offs, having to rely on family members if they’re not going to make it on time.”

Europa has now joined a consortium led by Dartford’s MP, Jim Dickson which launched on Monday (December 16) and will serve as a formal platform for collaborative engagement between industry leaders, supply chain partners and policy makers.

Mr Dickson said: “The coming together of over 75 major businesses shows unwavering support for the Lower Thames Crossing and adds weight to the urgent call for a go ahead from Government.

“This project is more than a road – it is a gateway to new markets, a catalyst for job creation, and a solution to the congestion that constrains constituents and our economy.

“We need to get on with the job and get the crossing delivered, doubling capacity over the Thames east of London and kick-starting economic growth in the South East.”

If approved, the route would include 2.6 miles of tunnels - two in total, one south, one northbound - under the Thames. At 16 metres wide, they would have been some of the largest bored tunnels in the world.

However, the scheme is not without its critics.

The Kent Wildlife Trust is one of a number of conservation organisations in raising concerns about the environmental impacts.

READ MORE: Everything we know about £9bn Lower Thames Crossing route as decision pushed back until 2025

It previously said: “The project will result in the loss of ancient woodland and veteran trees. In total, nine areas of ancient woodland are threatened with direct damage and loss, including three Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), such as Shorne and Ashenbank Woods SSSI.

“The country is facing an ecological meltdown with only around 2.5% of ancient woodland remaining.”

And an independent report by campaign group Transport Action Network (TAN), which supports more sustainable transport infrastructure, described the project as a “dinosaur scheme from another era that should be extinct”.

It said traffic levels at the Dartford Crossing would return to existing levels just five years after the new crossing opens.

Its founder Chris Todd said: “It’s a myth debunked 30 years ago that road building grows the economy and eases congestion.

“Not only is the previous Conservative government’s roads programme unaffordable but even a cursory look at its own traffic projections shows congestion will worsen even if all the new roads were built.”