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  Lower Thames Crossing – Cost-effective Tunnel Layout Based on Operational Risk Assessment

  Plans for a new road crossing of the River Thames, to relieve the existing congested Dartford crossing, are under development. The Lower Thames Crossing (LTC) is a proposed new road connecting the counties East of London through a tunnel beneath the River Thames. The project consists of approximately 23km of new roads including a 3.9km long twin-bored tunnel with 3 lanes in each bore. At 16m diameter it will be one of the largest bored tunnels in the world. Based on the recently issued document "GG104 Requirements for safety risk assessment", which outlines the general approach to managing safety risks on Highways England's road network, an operational risk assessment has been carried out to form the basis for design decisions. This paper describes the safety objective, hazard identification, risk analyses, risk evaluation and mitigations, with special focus on quantification of user safety risks for value-based decision making. The paper considers the subjects of fire & life safety, user evacuation, tunnel fire ventilation, emergency response, cross passage spacing and tunnel space proofing through a holistic approach. For major infrastructure investments, a quantitative operational risk assessment is a valuable tool to support design decisions that optimize the safety value of the asset.

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