Blackwall Tunnel closure: Drivers warned of heavy traffic on alternative routes during May and June roadworks

Transport for London (TfL) has warned drivers planning to take alternative routes when the Blackwall Tunnel is closed that traffic is likely to be heavy.

The southbound road of the Blackwall Tunnel, which travels beneath the River Thames in east London, will be closed on the weekends of May 18-20, June 8-10 and June 29-July 1.

There are several alternative routes drivers have been advised to take, namely the Rotherhithe Tunnel and Tower Bridge.

But “traffic around Rotherhithe Tunnel and along the A13 Commercial Road is expected to be heavier than normal over the weekends due to the closures,” TfL said on Wednesday.

In a fresh statement on the closures, TfL warned drivers to plan their routes in advance.

It also asked drivers of HGVs and vans more than two metres or weighing more than two tonnes to “consider routes away from central London where possible”.

Extra road signs will be placed on main roads and third-party apps, such as Waze, have agreed to remind drivers of the closures.

The Blackwall Tunnel is being shut for work to help implement the road configuration for the new Silvertown Tunnel, which will open in 2025.

Silvertown tunnel interior (TfL)

Silvertown Tunnel will be within the Ultra Low Emission Zone and will be subject to a user charge. It will also provide a public transport-focused river crossing with zero-emission bus links across the Thames.

The summer weekend closures are taking place for works to be carried out including resurfacing roads and pavements on the tunnel approaches, installing safety barriers, work to retaining walls and carrying out landscaping.

TfL has said the closures will all start at midnight on the Saturdays, with southbound traffic being restored by 5am on the  Monday mornings at the latest.

It said northbound traffic will not be affected by the closures as traffic will be diverted through the southbound Blackwall Tunnel when required.

On top of the Rotherhithe Tunnel and Tower Bridge, people will also be able to use the Route 108 Bus, which usually uses the Blackwall Tunnel.

Greenwich entrance to Silvertown Tunnel (TfL)

On the weekends of closures, the bus will terminate at Canning Town and North Greenwich where riders can jump onto the Jubilee line at no extra cost.

The Woolwich Ferry, which now departs every fifteen minutes, seven days a week, will also be in operation across the weekends.

TfL’s Director of Capital Delivery Systems Nick Fairholme said: “We are getting closer to the opening of the new Silvertown Tunnel and appreciate that these planned weekend works will have an impact on some drivers.

“We are doing everything in our power to limit potential disruption and complete these essential works as quickly as possible, including ensuring a northbound route through the Blackwall Tunnel is maintained throughout.”

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