Skip to main content

New Thames tunnel crossing for London?

Progress is being made with regard to the proposed Silvertown Tunnel project under the River Thames in London. The public consultation process is now going ahead for the Silvertown Tunnel, which has been described as vital for freight by the Freight Transport Association. Transport for London (TfL) is launching the consultation into a series of crossings planned in and around the capital. The Silvertown Tunnel will link the Greenwich Peninsula with the Royal Docks and will provide a reduction in congestion
October 5, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
Progress is being made with regard to the proposed Silvertown Tunnel project under the River Thames in London. The public consultation process is now going ahead for the Silvertown Tunnel, which has been described as vital for freight by the 3934 Freight Transport Association. 2387 Transport for London (TfL) is launching the consultation into a series of crossings planned in and around the capital. The Silvertown Tunnel will link the Greenwich Peninsula with the Royal Docks and will provide a reduction in congestion and delays for drivers in East London.
 
At present the alternative crossing in the area is the Blackwall Tunnel, which has a 4m height limit, restricting access for taller trucks, forcing them to take lengthy detours out to the M25 in order to cross the Thames, adding to journey and delivery times. The tunnel is blocked often by overheight vehicles whose drivers are unaware of the restrictions of the link, causing further delays. Drivers approaching the tunnel currently face on average a 3.2km tailback during peak periods – wasting an estimated one million hours each year by people queuing to use it.
 
The Silvertown Tunnel is part of TfL’s plans for a series of new river crossings that are needed to support the capital’s rapidly growing population, which is expected to increase from 8.6 million now to 10 million by 2030.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Lower Thames Crossing gets green light
    March 26, 2025
    The 14.5-mile project near London will include a 2.6-mile tunnel under the Thames River and come at a cost of around £8.3 billion.
  • VIDEO: London’s Silvertown Tunnel gets approval
    October 13, 2016
    A road tunnel costing €1 billion and a €111 million cycle and pedestrian bridge are among three infrastructure projects given the go-ahead by London’s mayor.

    The Silvertown Tunnel and the cycle and pedestrian bridge will link the Canary Wharf area north of the River Thames with Rotherhithe on the south bank.

    London mayor Sadiq Khan also approved an extension to the Docklands Light Railway that would run to Gallions Reach on the south bank of the Thames.
  • London Thames crossing options planned
    December 9, 2015
    Plans are being considered for a new road crossing route for the River Thames in London. Transport for London (TfL) has launched a consultation process to evaluate new crossing proposals. The first suggested route would link Beckton and Thamesmead through a link at Gallions Reach, while a second proposed crossing at Belvedere would link Belvedere and Rainham. The consultation is seeking views about potential public transport links for the proposed river crossings in east London.
  • Tunnel plan for British capital?
    May 14, 2014
    A proposal for an orbital tunnel in UK capital London has been put forward and is now being evaluated. The plan calls for a 35km underground ring road in central London that would carry traffic around the city, in a bid to help reduce the capital’s current chronic congestion. Called the Inner Orbital Route, the tunnel project has an estimated cost of €36.8 billion (£30 billion) and would also include two new crossings of the River Thames. Transport for London (TfL) has been tasked with the job of evaluating