THE decision to push ahead with a new Thames crossing running through Ockendon, Orsett and Tilbury was taken to “minimise the environmental impact”, according to Transport Secretary Chris Grayling.

Despite the preferred route being “less efficient”, its location is expected to cause less disruption than other options.

The Gazette revealed yesterday option three - a route running from the M25 near North Ockendon, crossing the A13 at Orsett and running north of Chadwell St Mary before reaching the Kent-bound tunnel in East Tilbury - had been selected by the Government.

Mr Grayling arrived in Dartford yesterday to reveal further details about the crossing. He told the Gazette the two mile toll tunnel, which has been in the pipeline for seven years, will be a positive boost for Essex - which is often gridlocked as a result of delays at the existing crossing.

He said: “We will do everything we can to minimise the environmental impact with noise protection and screening, but we consciously took a decision of what is a less efficient route precisely because I wanted to try and reduce the impact.

“We are very aware it’s not just about the motorway, it is also about the surrounding roads and the ripple effect when something goes wrong with the motorway. It’s enormous and getting worse – the problems are becoming more frequent.

“We will press ahead now and deliver it as quickly as we can but it is a massive project and one of the biggest engineering projects in the country and it will take time to plan, design and deliver.

“There is no doubt that making it easier for goods to come through from the channel tunnel to the Midlands and the north, making it easier for people to come from Kent to Essex and vice versa will be a good thing.

“In particular for Essex, the impact is fewer traffic jams and less congestion than will happen the day before it opens.”

The preferred option has come under criticism, with Stephen Metcalfe, Tory MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock, calling it “a flawed decision.”

He said: “I feel we made a good argument against Option C and was convinced we had built a strong case in favour of sorting out the existing crossing before proceeding. Despite this I am pleased that the Secretary of State has said he looked closely at our arguments. But I regret he did not fully accept our points and has pushed ahead with what I believe to be a flawed decision.”

Jackie Doyle-Price, Tory MP for Thurrock, campaigned for option four - running from junction 29 on the M25 and passing by Dunton, Stanford-le-Hope, and Linford before eventually reaching East Tilbury.

Highways England said the final decision has been made “by years of studies, assessments and careful consideration. Chief executive Jim O’Sullivan said: “This route will greatly improve journeys as well as unlocking more than £8billion of economic benefits and create some 6,000 jobs.

“As we progress there will be further consultation and opportunities to be part of shaping the detail for the area, now and for future generations.”

Mr Grayling has confirmed that it it likely drivers will face a toll charge to use the tunnel.

The option have been highly criticised because of the already higher than the national average air pollution.

When asked how he came to the decision of option three, Mr Grayling added: “I took the time after becoming secretary of state last summer to really work through and understand the options.

The issue here is it’s not just about the tunnel and bridges, it is also about the capacity of the roads north and south and given the projections for growth in road transport and traffic on the M25 and Dartford.

“I came to the conclusion that Highways England said we needed a separate corridor to provide resilience and a separate route for the crossing is really important.”