TfL has advised drivers that the Blackwall Tunnel will be closed to southbound traffic across a number of weekends in May and June to help support carriageway works on the northbound approach.
The closures, which are required to help implement the road configuration for the new Silvertown Tunnel, which will open in 2025, will take place across the weekends of 18-20 May, 1-3 June, 8-10 June and 29 June-1 July.
During these weekends, a range of works will be undertaken, including resurfacing roads and pavements on the tunnel approaches, installing safety barriers, work to retaining walls and carrying out landscaping. The closures will all start at 00:01 on the Saturday morning, with southbound traffic being restored by 05:00 on the Monday morning at the latest. Further information about the closures can be found at www.tfl.gov.uk/blackwall-tunnel
The Silvertown Tunnel, which is within the Ultra Low Emission Zone and will be subject to a user charge, will provide a public transport-focused river crossing with zero-emission bus links across the Thames. Once open in 2025, the crossing will also reduce congestion and improve the reliability and resilience of the Blackwall Tunnel, which will improve overall air quality in the local area.
Across the weekends, the Blackwall Tunnel will be closed for southbound traffic and drivers will need to take alternative routes. Northbound traffic will not be affected by these closures as traffic will be diverted through the southbound Blackwall Tunnel when required. Drivers are advised to plan their routes in advance, checking before they travel so they can consider any other potential traffic impacts or restrictions, such as the height and weight limits at Rotherhithe Tunnel and Tower Bridge, both of which are outside the Congestion Charge zone. Traffic around Rotherhithe Tunnel and along the A13 Commercial Road is expected to be heavier than normal over the weekends due to the closures. The Woolwich Ferry, which now depart every fifteen minutes, seven days a week, will also be in operation across the weekends.
Drivers of HGVs, as well as vans more than two metres in height or weighing more than two tonnes, are advised to consider routes away from central London across the weekends where possible. To help inform drivers, additional variable messaging signs will be placed on the main roads approaching the Blackwall Tunnel. TfL has also worked with third party app providers, such as Waze, to help ensure drivers who regularly use the Blackwall Tunnel are alerted to the southbound closure and that the closure is shown in any route-planning over the weekend. TfL will also take the opportunity to carry out works within and around the tunnel, to help deliver future maintenance work more efficiently and ensure the tunnel can continue to safely operate.
