Transport for London: First look inside the £2.2 billion Silvertown Tunnel

For the first time, Transport for London has invited journalists to explore one of the capital’s most controversial infrastructure projects.

The Silvertown Tunnel is 1.4 km (just under a mile) long and stretches from Silvertown in Newham to the Greenwich Peninsula.

The inside of the tunnel is very spacious. Much larger than other tunnels such as Super Sewers and Crossrail. Bowling ended a few weeks ago.

Transport for London (TfL) says the plan will tackle queues at the Blackwall Tunnel and reduce pollution. But it faces fierce opposition from those who believe it will do the exact opposite and increase pollution and congestion.

And the big question is, even with mitigation measures, can road tunnels be made environmentally friendly?

London Mayor Sadiq Khan reviewed the plan when he took office. He said this would be a vital link across the Thames to east London.

Khan gave the go-ahead to build the tunnel, funding it with a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) for future profits. The cost was £2.2 billion.

He increased the number of bus services using it. There will also be bicycles and buses to transport them. This place is also within the Uresu zone.

Importantly, TFL has announced that it will introduce toll roads from next summer to control traffic using both the Blackwall Tunnel and the new Silvertown Tunnel.

The cost has not been disclosed, but it could cost between £3 and £5 each way to drive through the tunnel.

There will be bus lanes inside the tunnel, but large HGVs will also be able to pass through it.

At this time, HGVs are unable to use the northbound Blackwall Tunnel due to height restrictions.

Activists claim it will only attract more HGVs to the area, with around 20,000 additional vehicles per day using the tunnel.

Karin Tearle is from the Stop Silvertown Tunnel campaign group.

She said the number of buses had been cut, saying: “Transport for London told us it would be a public transport-focused tunnel and promised 37.5 buses an hour, but now it’s 20 buses an hour. It’s been reduced to a bus of books.”

“In fact, there will only be 14 additional buses as six of them are existing buses.

“We asked Transport for London and the Mayor if they could provide us with pollution figures about the impact that 20,000 to 30,000 additional vehicles would have on the area, but they refused.

“I think this is political. The Mayor of London doesn’t want to tell us that his biggest infrastructure project ever is far more contrary to his own social justice, climate change and clean air policies. I think it is.”

Sally Keeble is a member of the Greenwich Society.

She believes more HGVs will end up using the new tunnel. “We are slightly protected at the moment as our larger HGVs cannot use the old Blackwall tunnel.

“They would have to go to Dartford or Woolwich Ferry, but the new tunnel will give them access to the largest sized HGVs.

“And until we know something about the pricing structure and whether it’s going to be the same as Dartford or more expensive than Dartford, I don’t think we can be confident that we won’t be inundated with trucks.

“We look at the planning applications that have been received so far in this area.

“With distribution centers popping up all over the place, it’s clear that people who prefer trucks are in a very good position to have good north-south connectivity across the river.”

Greenwich cyclist Neil Robertson said HGVs would use tunnels designed for them.

He said: “HGVs will be coming here and it will be an alternative route, especially if there is a problem in Dartford.

“The A2 is completely full every night, so the traffic coming out of the tunnel is crawling all the way to the M25 every night. Adding lorries into the mix could make it even worse.”

He was particularly harsh in his criticism of bicycle buses, saying they were “absolutely ridiculous. Pretending that they are doing something is the wrong way to go.”

“The idea that a cyclist would put their bike on the bus and then get on the bus and get stuck in traffic is ridiculous.”

TfL’s director of investment planning, David Rowe, said a key objective was to reduce overall pollution and it would achieve this through its tariff structure.

“The fundamental purpose of the Silvertown Tunnel is to address the problems we have with Blackwall,” he said.

“Currently, people are stuck in traffic for 20 minutes trying to queue to cross the river as it is the only strategic crossing point during the park period.

“So if the black wall goes down and we have to close it 700 times a year, that means a lot more traffic, which obviously leads to worse air quality.

“The Silvertown Tunnel has eliminated queues and solved air quality issues.

“Our assessments show that air quality is improving across the board, and we are committed to making that happen.”

He said the toll would stop the increase in traffic.

“Importantly, a key part of this plan is the introduction of a new cross-river bus service, providing a viable alternative for those wishing to cross the river.

“This will not lead to an increase in traffic. This includes user fees and we want to ensure that we are not driving any more traffic into London.”

Campaigners believe Silvertown will play a key role in the mayoral election.

They believe the Mayor should tell Londoners how much their tolls will cost when the scheme launches next summer.

The mayor says increasing bus service and fares will reduce the impact, but opponents say there is no such thing as a green road tunnel.

It is also a little-known fact that the Blackwall Tunnel and Silvertown Tunnel will be tolled from 2025, but this is sure to cause outrage.