Rotherhithe Tunnel to close for ‘safety-critical’ repairs

The Rotherhithe Tunnel will be closed for five days to enable Transport for London (TfL) to carry out critical repairs to its fire safety system.

TfL says that closure will run from 10am on Monday (January 11) until 5am on Saturday, January 16.

The tunnel will also close to people walking and cycling during this time.    

Repairs to the tunnel’s fire water main are needed to ensure that its hydrants work properly in the event of a fire.

TfL said that alternative routes will be in place via the Blackwall Tunnel and Tower Bridge during the closure.

The current size and weight restrictions, which prohibit vehicles more than two metres high, two metres wide or goods vehicles weighing more than two tonnes from entering the tunnel, remain in place and will continue to remain in place after the closure, it added.  

Glynn Barton, TfL’s director of network management, explained that safety is its “top priority”.

“This urgent five-day closure of the Rotherhithe Tunnel is essential to ensure the tunnel remains safe for people to use,” he said. 

“I’d like to ask people in the area who need to travel to plan ahead for their journeys and continue to follow the vital safety restrictions which remain in place at the tunnel.”   

Essential works on Southwark Bridge

The City of London Corporation will also be carrying out essential works on Southwark Bridge, which will result in a full southbound closure of the crossing between January 11 and February 22. 

Traffic will be diverted via Upper Thames Street, Puddle Dock, Queen Victoria Street, Blackfriars Bridge, Blackfriars Road and Southwark Street.  

Since February 2019, enforcement of the weight restriction in the Rotherhithe Tunnel has been carried out by cameras and people driving prohibited vehicles through the tunnel can receive a fine of up to £130 for each journey they make through the tunnel.