The Department for Transport have approved £57.3m worth of funding for an Outline Business Case to repair the Gallows Corner flyover in Hornchurch and Upminster following a longstanding campaign by the constituency’s MP, London Assembly Member and local Conservative campaigners.

Julia Lopez MP has welcomed the Department for Transport’s award of up to £57.3m of the £67.373m needed to strengthen and refurbish the Gallows Corner flyover. The announcement comes following years of campaigning by Mrs Lopez along with local London Assembly Member Keith Prince.

The flyover was constructed in the 1970s and was only meant to stand for 20 years. However, in 2024 the structure is still standing and continues to receive heavy use. As a result, TFL previously stated that the flyover may have to close as early as next year if it did not receive significant repair work.

Yesterday’s announcement that the Government would provide 85% of the costs to strengthen and refurbish the flyover is a key step in keeping this main A-road open.

Julia Lopez, MP for Hornchurch and Upminster, commented:

I’m delighted that the Government has approved £57m for an Outline Business Case in response to TFL’s funding bid to upgrade and refurbish the Gallows Corner flyover. One of my big priorities since getting elected back in 2017 has been to unlock road upgrades here in Hornchurch and Upminster to improve journey times and stop gridlocks locally.

Our local Conservative team, including our newly re-elected Keith Prince AM, and I have been working on this campaign together for a number of years, lobbying the then Transport Minister, Chris Grayling, to provide funding for this important project. It’s great to see our hard work pay off, with the Government committing to covering up to 85% of the costs for the project. I hope the London Mayor and TFL will commit to delivering this scheme as soon as possible for residents in Hornchurch and Upminster.

Julia’s campaign to find a long-term solution to the Gallows Corner flyover has been running since 2018, when following her lobbying efforts with the Transport Secretary Chris Grayling, the project was shortlisted as being able to bid for Government funding via the Major Roads Programme.

TFL must now complete a number of legal and procurement processes before submitting the full business case for approval to the Department for Transport.