2014 - 2015

The Ghost in the Machine
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Claudia Fragoso (1st Year)

Dartford Crossing Motel






The Dartford Crossing marks a crucial point on the UK major road network. Sitting on the M25’s ring around London, it is the largest estuarial crossing on the Thames. The crossing’s proximity to Ebbsfleet International connects London and Dartford to the Eurostar, and consequently the European rail network.

As a piece of infrastructure that provides such important connections into the UK and Europe, the expansion of this crossing has been planned in order to accommodate the population and car rise in the coming decades. This project describes a scenario that accepts this expansion yet ensures that the local towns surrounding the bridge do not deteriorate with the increase in traffic flow.

The proposal sees the construction of a motel integrated into the existing Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, accessible via road and footpath alike. As a connection that is currently only accessible through the tolled vehicle crossing system, Dartford and Thurrock would benefit from this local layer of infrastructure. This strategy claims bridge as part of Dartford and Thurrock as opposed to leaving it as a small part of a major network. By localising the bridge and increasing the M25’s traffic flow underground instead, the area will see a more balanced infrastructural network that connects Essex and Kent.

The motel is able to operate at a local and international scale. It becomes a point of destination for residents whilst accommodating travellers from the UK and Europe. The motel functions in parallel the the M25 and neither supposes to be an obstacle for the other.

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Find out more about  Claudia’s topic with the research article ->


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