The transport secretary has insisted that the decision to build the Lower Thames Crossing east of Gravesend is the right decision for Kent and the rest of the UK.

Speaking about the announcement by the Department for Transport during a meeting at the Dartford Crossing on Wednesday evening, Chris Grayling defended the plan for a £4.4 billion bored tunnel linking Kent and Essex amidst criticism from residents and politicians in Gravesham.

MP Adam Holloway and the Lower Thames Crossing Association's Bob Lane are among those to have raised doubts about the new crossing's potential to improve traffic flow in north Kent, but Mr Grayling is confident that the project will prove successful.

“I took my time to really understand the pros and cons of each option," he said.

“I really wanted to be confident in my mind that it was better to go for what we put forward today and I think it’s the right decision. This particular crossing is important for the whole country.

“There’s never going to be a major project announcement that doesn’t have some people impacted, I wish it were otherwise, but it’s not possible.

“But what we’ve done there, take for example Shorne: rather than take Highways England’s preferred route to the east we’ve actually taken it to the west, precisely because I wanted to reduce the impact on local communities.

“I know they’re still going to be unhappy, and I know they’re still not going to want this road, but we’ll do everything we can to minimise the environmental impact.

“We consciously took the decision to go for what is technically a less efficient route precisely because I wanted to try and reduce the impact, although I know I can’t get rid of the impact."

Highways England consulted on its preferred route east of Gravesend last year and had more than 47,000 responses, but the finalised plan differs slightly.

The new 70mph, 13 mile route south of the river links the A2 and M25 and promises to improve vehicle capacity for vehicles crossing the Thames east of London by 70%, but construction is not expected to be complete for a decade.

Another £10 million has been set aside to improve the situation on the roads at Dartford in the meantime, with Mr Grayling made significantly late to this evening's meeting due to a crash on the QEII Bridge.

“It’s not the first time I’ve been sat in traffic around Dartford and on the M25, but I am aware that it’s not just about the motorway, it’s also about the surrounding roads if there’s an accident,” he said.

“The problems are getting worse and I wish I could wave a magic wand and get it sorted now, but it’s a massive project and it will take time to deliver."

According to Highways England chief executive Jim O'Sullivan, once complete the Lower Thames Crossing will ensure routes over the Thames east of London will be fit to cope with capacity until 2050.

Some had expressed fear that the need for another new crossing would become apparent before the Gravesend project was even complete, with no extra provision having been provided since the QEII Bridge.

The west tunnel opened in 1963, the east tunnel in 1980, and the QEII Bridge in 1991, making the wait for another crossing the longest to date.

Mr O'Sullivan said: "We look at the national road network and the availability of this crossing at this location (Gravesend) hugely impacts the resilience of the road network.

"The availability of two routes across the Thames means you do not have the problems that you see today. It's important not just for residents in Dartford, but companies in Dartford.

"It's also important to Highways England that this is the best it can be, not just for the road users, but also for communities and the environment."