River Thames reign was the completion of the multi-piered London Bridge, which acted as a barricade and barrage on the river, affecting the tidal flow upstream and increasing the likelihood of the river freezing over. In Tudor and Stuart times, various kings and queens built magnificent riverside palaces at Hampton Court, Kew, Richmond on Thames, Whitehall and Greenwich. As early as the 1300s, the Thames was used to dispose of waste matter produced in the city of London, thus turning the river into an open sewer. In 1357, Edward III described the state of the river in a proclamation: "... dung and
Lower Thames Crossing on the A128 at Chadwell St Mary in Essex. In January 2009, the Department for Transport proposed three major options to increase capacity east of London over the River Thames to be built downstream of the existing Dartford Crossing and an additional proposal to increase capacity at the Dartford Crossing. Advocates of the proposal argue that a new crossing is needed to alleviate congestion at the Dartford Crossing. Currently, there is a ferry service operating between Gravesend and Tilbury, which predominantly carries foot passengers and bicycles, Monday to Saturday. A study in a Lower Thames Crossing providing "relief to east