Silvertown tunnel entrance roads take shape

A recent trip on the cable show has shown roads on the northern tunnel mouth begin to appear in advance of opening next year.

Over the past year a substantial roundabout has taken shape and then over recent months other roads saw tarmac laid.

The control tower has now been revealed and looks mostly complete externally. Riverlinx are the private consortium behind construction and future operation.

Now both the entrance and exit on the ramp beside the tunnel portal is visible.

The £2.2 billion tunnel is set to see tolls applied as well as to the adjacent Blackwall tunnel.

This has seen concern that people will divert to Rotherhithe as well as the Woolwich ferry.

It’s bound to be a controversial issue when the exact level of tolling is announced. The tunnel had tolling being applied under both Conservative and Labour from day one, though one suspects the Conservatives will forget that and make an issue of it.

Revenue is supposed to pay back construction costs over forthcoming decades, though there’s no obligation for a future Mayor to retain them or at least at initial levels. They could always reduce or be frozen enticing driving across the river.

A future election could well be based upon reducing or eliminating tolls, which in turn could greatly increase traffic levels. The level of lorries is already set to increase as a dedicated lane in each direction is planned to share with buses.

In response we’ve seen lorry depots spring up with one near completion just off the A102 in Greenwich and last month further revealed in Charlton.

TfL modelling was also changed in July 2023 with increased southbound traffic levels through Greenwich borough now predicted.