The Silvertown Tunnel is due to open on 7 April, with new bus routes serving the tunnel launching the same day.
Transport for London (TfL) said that with construction work on the Silvertown project now coming towards a close, and operational readiness testing underway ahead of the tunnel opening, work is moving to installing the infrastructure that will support the new bus routes that will serve the Silvertown Tunnel.
Work on Tidal Basin Roundabout, together with new walking and cycling routes around the roundabout and along Dock Road has also recently been completed, with work on improving Lower Lea Crossing for all road users currently underway and due to be complete by the end of the spring.
First announced in 2012 by the then London mayor, Boris Johnson, the 1.4km Silvertown Tunnel will link Newham to the Greenwich Peninsula.
TfL said it will make journeys faster and more reliable, with average journey time savings expected to be up to 20 minutes at peak times. It added that East London residents and businesses currently face chronic traffic congestion in the area around the Victorian-era Blackwall Tunnel, which suffers from more than 700 closures a year.
To help prevent traffic increasing across the Silvertown and Blackwall tunnels, repay costs for building the new tunnel, and cover ongoing maintenance and operation costs at both tunnels, a user charge will be introduced on opening. Reports suggest the initial charge for car journeys will be under £4.
TfL said that without this charge at both tunnels, there would likely be high levels of traffic and congestion in the area, which would lead to detrimental air quality impacts, as well as longer journey times.
It added that the tunnel will allow it to increase the number of buses able to cross the river in this area from six to 21 buses an hour in each direction during the busiest times, all of which will be zero emission at the tailpipe.
The new buses, which will be free for at least the first year, include Superloop 4 between Canary Wharf and Grove Park.
The Silvertown Tunnel project has been delivered by the Riverlinx consortium, which is made up of abrdn, Invesis, Cintra, and SK ecoplant, through a design, build, finance, operate and maintain contract. The vast majority of the funding is coming from private finance, which has been specifically raised for the scheme
The Riverlinx CJV (Construction Joint Venture) was contracted by TfL and Riverlinx SPV to complete the design and construction works. Riverlinx CJV is a joint venture bringing together three civil engineering and construction companies: BAM, Ferrovial Construction and SK ecoplant.
During the construction of the tunnel, which began in 2021, more than 1,860,000 tonnes of material have been transported to and from the site via the river.
