Weekend closure of southbound Blackwall Tunnel

The southbound Blackwall Tunnel will be closed from September 7-9 to support the opening of the new Silvertown Tunnel, Transport for London (TfL) has announced.

The closure is in addition to the planned southbound closure this weekend (August 17-19). 

TfL says that this will allow for the final road configuration to be implemented, as well as road resurfacing and safety barrier works to be carried out. 

Nick Fairholme, director of capital delivery for systems at TfL, said: “We are now in the final phase of works to complete the Silvertown Tunnel and these closures will help us to start to get the tunnel ready to open.

“We appreciate that these planned weekend works will have an impact on some drivers and are doing everything we can to limit potential disruption - including ensuring a northbound route through the Blackwall Tunnel is maintained throughout.”

Across both 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.

The weekend closures will start at 12.01am on the Saturday morning, with southbound traffic being restored by 5am on the Monday morning at the latest.

Further information about the closures can be found at tfl.gov.uk/blackwall-tunnel.

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.

Roads and alternative river crossings in east and central London are expected to be extremely busy with traffic around Rotherhithe Tunnel and along the A13 Commercial Road between Canning Town and Whitechapel heavier than normal over the weekends due to the closures.

The Woolwich Ferry, which now departs every fifteen minutes, seven days a week, will be in operation across the weekends. Where possible, people should consider using public transport or walking and cycling via other river crossings to complete their journey.

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 of the works, 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.

Plans for the Silvertown Tunnel were first developed in 2012 to help address the chronic congestion residents and businesses currently face around the Blackwall Tunnel. 

The Victorian-era tunnel suffers from frequent closures - more than 700 times a year – which results in large tailbacks.

Work on delivering the new Silvertown Tunnel, which will open in 2025, continues to progress well, says TfL.

Both of the 1.1km tunnels have been fully tunnelled and safety critical equipment is now being installed.

The final road surface is being installed within the tunnels and approach roads, which will allow for critical testing and assurance work to take place ahead of opening.

Work is also nearing completion on the new road layout around Tidal Basin Roundabout in Newham.

TfL has set out new charges for using Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels, which are the subject of a consultation. 

TfL has proposed both peak and off-peak rates, with peak charges applying for four hours northbound in the morning (from 6am to 10am) and three hours southbound in the evening (from 4pm to 7pm), Monday to Friday.

Charges would apply once the new Silvertown Tunnel opens in spring 2025.

The suggested standard off-peak rate is £1.50 for cars, motorbikes and small vans for vehicles registered for TfL AutoPay.

Peak charges will be £1 more than standard off-peak charges for motorbikes and an extra £2.50 for cars and small vans.

Read more about the proposed tunnel charges here.