Silvertown Tunnel

Silvertown Tunnel is a planned road tunnel under the River Thames in East London that will connect the Greenwich Peninsula and west Silvertown. It is being promoted by Transport for London and will be delivered through a design, build, finance and maintain contract by the Riverlinx consortium. The tunnel is intended to reduce congestion through the Blackwall Tunnel and both tunnels will be tolled when it opens in 2025.[1] The contract for construction was awarded in November 2019.

Silvertown Tunnel
Exploratory boreholes on the site in 2014
Overview
LocationSilvertown / Greenwich Peninsula
Coordinates51°30′17″N 00°00′29″E
StatusContract Awarded
RouteA1020
StartLondon Borough of Newham
EndRoyal Borough of Greenwich
Operation
OwnerTransport for London
OperatorRiverlinx
TrafficAutomotive, no pedestrians or cyclists
Technical
Length1.4 km
No. of lanes2 lanes per bore (twin bore)

The tunnel will include bus lanes, but it will not be accessible to walkers or cyclists.[2]

Current proposal
Map of the planned route of the Silvertown Tunnel

The current proposal is for a twin-bore tunnel to connect the A1020 Silvertown Way/Lower Lea Crossing on the north side with the A102 road Blackwall Tunnel Approach on the south side, on an alignment similar to the Emirates Air Line cable car.[3] Lane 1 will be dedicated to buses and goods vehicles over 7.5t, while lane 2 will be available for all traffic. The proposed tunnel would affect access to a Thames Wharf station proposed as part of the Docklands Light Railway's London City Airport extension.[4]

Cost

In 2012, the cost was stated to be £600m.[5] A consultation in 2015 stated that the cost of construction was estimated to be £1bn.[6] Operation and maintenance of the tunnel over 25 years is expected to cost another £1bn.[7]

Opposition

The tunnel has been criticised as opponents fear it will increase levels of traffic, in turn increasing air pollution. Green Party member and councillor Caroline Russell expressed concern that as the cost of the tunnel would be covered by tolling, future mayors of London will want to keep traffic levels high in order to pay this off. The lack of walking or cycling facilities in the tunnel has been criticised. A planned pedestrian and cyclist bridge from Rotherhithe to Canary Wharf was cancelled in 2019.[8]

Plans submitted in 2019 suggested 19 trees would be removed. However, revised plans submitted in 2021 suggested over 100 trees would be removed to construct the tunnel and access roads.[9]

Political opposition

Campaign Groups

The tunnel is opposed by the 'No to the Silvertown Tunnel' campaign, and more recently the Stop the Silvertown Tunnel Coalition which claims that it would generate more traffic and more congestion, and lead to more air pollution.[28]

Friends of the Earth have been lobbying Tower Hamlets Borough Council to reject the proposal.[29]

In July 2020, Extinction Rebellion protesters locked themselves to a drilling rig, calling on London mayor Sadiq Khan to halt the project amidst environmental concerns.[30]

History

It was proposed that the project should be reviewed in 2006 following the completion of the Thames Gateway Bridge.[31] The then London Mayor, Ken Livingstone, supported the scheme in principle and expressed a preference that the link be a road tunnel. The Mayor's Transport Strategy stated that construction of the link would follow the implementation of the subsequently cancelled Thames Gateway Bridge.[32]

A public consultation on the Silvertown Tunnel and the Gallions Reach Ferry took place between February and March 2012.[33] A further consultation was conducted from 29 October 2012 to 1 February 2013.[34]

A consultation on tolling both the Silvertown and the Blackwall tunnels opened in October 2014.[35]

The government approved the proposal in May 2018,[36] and the contract was awarded in November 2019.[37] Construction is due for completion in 2025.

See also

References
  1. "Improvements and Projects - Silvertown Tunnel". Transport for London. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  2. "£1bn Silvertown tunnel 'to slash Blackwall traffic and air pollution'". Evening Standard. 30 May 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  3. "River Crossings: Silvertown Tunnel - Supporting technical documentation" (PDF). The proposed northern Silvertown tunnel portal is located close to the site safeguarded for a potential Thames Wharf DLR station and its potential impact on pedestrian access routes to the station needs to be considered
  4. "Tolls proposed to part-fund new East London river crossings". Transport Xtra. 9 November 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  5. "Have your say on the Silvertown Tunnel scheme - Transport for London - Citizen Space". consultations.tfl.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  6. Taylor, Matthew (16 September 2020). "Thames tunnel will cost nearly £2bn over 30 years, TfL figures show". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  7. "Silvertown Tunnel campaigners gear up for last stand". the Guardian. 2 November 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  8. "Riverlinx plan additional tree felling for Silvertown Tunnel". Murky Depths. 24 January 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  9. "Scott writes for Bright Green: Labour needs to scrap the Silvertown Tunnel". www.scottainsliemep.org.uk.
  10. https://twitter.com/andrewboff/status/1222564894761017345?s=21
  11. Directorate, Digital. "Siobhan Benita launches campaign to become next London Mayor". London Liberal Democrats.
  12. "Siân Berry Archives » No to Silvertown Tunnel".
  13. Leeming, Lachlan. "West Ham MP slams Silvertown Tunnel plans". Newham Recorder.
  14. Chamberlain, Darryl (8 February 2016). "Opposition to the Silvertown Tunnel is growing - so what happens next? » No to Silvertown Tunnel".
  15. https://twitter.com/edwardjdavey/status/1274068059616088066?s=21
  16. https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/labourclp244/pages/534/attachments/original/1449152734/silvertown_consultation_nov_2015.pdf?1449152734
  17. Sheridan, Ed; Reporter, Local Democracy (28 December 2019). "Greenwich Council leader rejected cross-borough alliance to stop Silvertown Tunnel". 853.
  18. King, Jon. "Sadiq Khan urged to rethink £1bn Silvertown Tunnel project". Newham Recorder.
  19. "Revealed: Hackney's last-ditch attempt to stop Silvertown Tunnel rebuffed by other councils". 27 December 2019.
  20. "Zac Goldsmith unveils plan 'to keep London moving'". MayorWatch. 30 March 2016.
  21. "Pressure mounts on Sadiq Khan as third MP opposes Silvertown Tunnel". NewsShopper. 4 December 2020.
  22. "Southwark Council oppose Silvertown Tunnel plans |".
  23. "Why I cannot support the Mayor of London's Silvertown Tunnel proposals". 6 January 2016.
  24. "Silvertown tunnel an 'environmental betrayal', say Lib Dems". the Guardian. 2 March 2020.
  25. "Toxic Silvertown Tunnel should be rejected, say senior London Greens". london.greenparty.org.uk.
  26. https://transportactionnetwork.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Stop-Digging-Report.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwifns6hgtvtAhWPSxUIHbszAdQQFjABegQIAxAB&usg=AOvVaw3JAC4c4mCMUnhBP9aIjQnM
  27. "No to Silvertown Tunnel". No to Silvertown Tunnel.
  28. "Friends of the Earth urges Mayor John Biggs to fight Silvertown Tunnel". 14 September 2016.
  29. Busby, Mattha; Murray, Jessica (25 July 2020). "Three Extinction Rebellion activists held after Thames rig protest" – via www.theguardian.com.
  30. "Thames Gateway River Crossings". Transport for London. Archived from the original on 25 November 2005. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
  31. "Silvertown Link". A rolling construction programme would see the project team for Thames Gateway Bridge moved straight on to Silvertown Link.
  32. "River Crossings". The information on this web page relates to a consultation that was undertaken in February/March 2012.
  33. "Have your say on the proposal for a new tunnel under the Thames at Silvertown - Transport for London - Citizen Space". consultations.tfl.gov.uk.
  34. "Silvertown Tunnel: Toll Consultation To Be Launched". The Londonist.
  35. "The Silvertown Tunnel Order 2018", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2018/574
  36. "TfL completes contract with Riverlinx consortium to design, build, finance and maintain Silvertown Tunnel". Transport for London. 25 November 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
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