First new road crossing east of Tower Bridge since 1991 to open
The first new road crossing east of London’s Tower Bridge in 33 years opens on Monday.
Silvertown Tunnel will connect Silvertown with Greenwich Peninsula, running under the River Thames.
It is hoped the new 1.4km (0.9-mile) crossing will reduce the severe congestion around the nearby Blackwall Tunnel.
But climate activists have expressed concern about the impact on traffic and air pollution.
The Blackwall Tunnel has been free to use since opening more than a century ago, but charges will apply for both the Silvertown and Blackwall Tunnels between 6am and 10pm from Monday.
TfL said charges will help manage traffic levels, repay construction costs and cover ongoing maintenance and operation fees.
The Silvertown Tunnel was built by the Riverlinx consortium, which is made up of private financial companies.
As of 2022, it had secured £1.2 billion of private finance to build, operate and maintain the tunnel.
TfL’s accounts indicate that its total repayments over a 25-year period could exceed £2 billion.
The Silvertown Tunnel will be the first new road crossing east of Tower Bridge since the Queen Elizabeth II bridge – part of the Dartford Crossing – opened in October 1991.
Failure to pay the crossing tolls fee will result in a penalty charge notice being issued for £180, reduced to £90 if paid within a fortnight.
A number of types of vehicles and road users will be exempt from the charges, such as buses and coaches, black taxis, blue badge holders registered in the capital, and zero-emission capable private hire vehicles.
New bus routes will serve the Silvertown Tunnel, which will be free for at least the first year.
There will also be a bus shuttle service for cyclists.
This will run for at least three years, and be free for at least one year.
Green Party London Assembly Member Caroline Russell declared that people in the capital “deserve so much more than this”, and said the crossing should have been “a proper route across the river for people walking and cycling”.
She said: “We need river crossings that prioritise clean air, safe walking and cycling with affordable public transport rather than this traffic-inducing road tunnel.”
Ms Russell noted that Sir Sadiq Khan has claimed to be the “greenest” Mayor of London, but the tunnel is “the opposite of anything green”.
She added: “To make matters worse, the Mayor’s clunky cycle shuttle service is a half-baked impractical solution strapped onto a project that people have campaigned against for decades.”
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said the Silvertown Tunnel will “transform travel” by enabling “faster, more reliable journey times for thousands of Londoners, reduced congestion and improved air quality”.
City Hall made a “series of significant improvements” since the original plans for the tunnel were developed in 2012, she said.
“This includes ensuring there are discounts and concessions in place, and reserving, for the first time ever, a lane for zero-emission double-decker buses and an innovative free cycle-shuttle service, which will encourage more people to switch to greener modes of transport.”
By Neil Lancefield, PA Transport Correspondent