A design from Arup and Seán Harrington Architects has won a competition to design a new low-carbon footbridge for the Lower Thames Crossing.

National Highways’ Lower Thames Crossing is a new road and tunnel under the Thames that will connect the A2 and M2 in Kent, to the A13 in Essex and M25 in the London Borough of Havering.

The project launched a competition last summer to find a new design for a sustainable low-carbon crossing over the A127, at the northern end of the Lower Thames Crossing route.

The footbridge would restore the connection between Moor Lane and Folkes Lane, which was severed when the A127 was opened in 1924. It will also offer the local community an uninterrupted route between local green spaces such as Thames Chase Forest Centre, Folkes Lane Wood and Hole Farm Community Woodland, the new 100-hectare woodland being created in partnership between the Lower Thames Crossing and Forestry England. 

The winning design from Arup and Seán Harrington Architects beat 32 entries which were judged on their proposed use of low-carbon materials and construction methods, and evidence of good design principles to allow ease of access and a pleasant crossing experience.

The design eliminated all concrete from the bridge and approach ramps, and integrated planting into the design to promote habitat connectivity.

The competition is part of the project’s plans to be the “greenest road ever built in the UK”. As a pathfinder project exploring carbon neutral construction, the project will reduce its own carbon footprint and drive change throughout the UK construction industry by scaling up the use of low-carbon materials and methods.

It will create six times more green space than road, and includes one million trees, a community woodland, two new public parks and 40 miles of new and improved pathways for walkers, cyclists and horse riders.

Shaun Pidcock, programme director, Lower Thames Crossing, said: “The Lower Thames Crossing will not only drive economic growth, but it will also redraw the blueprint for modern, sustainable infrastructure. The low-carbon footbridge contest is one example of how we are tackling carbon in construction and helping restore nature.

“It was incredibly heartening to see the new ideas and creativity from the industry. We had a hard job choosing winner from all the high quality entries but are delighted with the winning design and look forward to seeing it come to fruition and hope it inspires other designers to aim for low carbon solutions everywhere.”

Martin Hooton, associate director at Arup, said: “The contest was successful in advancing high quality design by prioritising low carbon and innovative ideas from across our industry. This focus empowered our team to challenge conventional thinking and to be bold in our approach to delivering lowest carbon across all aspects of this design.”

Seán Harrington, from Seán Harrington Architects, added: “This competition was a wonderful opportunity (and challenge!) for the team to rethink bridge design, by putting low carbon and biodiversity considerations to the forefront of our decision-making. This was synthesised with efficient and creative engineering, careful placemaking and ergonomics to create a design that is sympathetic to its context, and expressing its function with clarity, elegance, and simplicity.” 

The humble footbridge plays an understated but vital role keeping communities connected, allowing access to green spaces and encouraging active transport. National Highways is responsible for more than 600 footbridges in England, with 176 of them in the South-east, and many will need to be maintained or replaced in the coming years.

The Lower Thames Crossing received planning permission in March and is now working with the government on funding options.  Construction could start as early as 2026, with the new road expected to open in the early 2030s.