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 relieve congestion in 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
Location	Silvertown / Greenwich Peninsula
Coordinates	51°30′17″N 00°00′29″E
Status	Contract Awarded
Route	A1020
Start	London Borough of Newham
End	Royal Borough of Greenwich
Operation
Owner	Transport for London
Operator	Riverlinx
Traffic	Automotive, no pedestrians or cyclists
Technical
Length	1.4km
No. of lanes	2 lanes per bore (twin bore)

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.[2] 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.[3]

Opposition

Political opposition

• Cllr Scott Ainslie, former Green MEP for London and councillor on Lambeth Council[4]
• Andrew Boff, former Conservative leader on the London Assembly[5]
• Siobhan Benita, former Liberal Democrat candidate for Mayor of London[6]
• Cllr Sian Berry, Green Party member of the London Assembly[7]
• Lyn Brown, Labour MP for West Ham[8]
• Cllr Clare Coghill, Labour leader of Waltham Forest Council[9]
• Sir Edward Davey, Liberal Democrat MP for Kingston & Surbiton and former Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change[10]
• Clive Efford, Labour MP for Eltham[11]
• Cllr Damien Egan, Labour Mayor of Lewisham[12]
• Rokhsana Fiaz, Labour Mayor of Newham[13]
• Philip Glanville, Labour Mayor of Hackney[14]
• The Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park, Conservative member of the House of Lords[15]
• Cllr Peter John, Labour leader of Southwark Council[16]
• Matthew Pennycook, Labour MP for Greenwich and Woolwich[17]
• Caroline Pigeon, Liberal Democrat leader on the London Assembly[18]
• Cllr Caroline Russell, Green Party member on the London Assembly[19]

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.[20]

Friends of the Earth have been lobbying Tower Hamlets Borough Council to reject the proposal.[21]

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.[22]

History

It was proposed that the project should be reviewed in 2006 following the completion of the Thames Gateway Bridge.[23] 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.[24]

A public consultation on the Silvertown Tunnel and the Gallions Reach Ferry took place between February and March 2012.[25] A further consultation was conducted from 29 October 2012 to 1 February 2013.[26]

A consultation on tolling both the Silvertown and the Blackwall tunnels opened in October 2014.[27]

The government approved the proposal in May 2018,[28] and the contract was awarded in November 2019.[29] Construction is due for completion in 2025.

See also

• Thames Gateway Bridge, a bridge proposal that was cancelled in 2008
• Lower Thames Crossing, a proposed crossing to the east of the M25
• Gallions Reach Crossing, a proposed tunnel or bridge between Beckton and Thamesmead
• Belvedere Crossing, a proposed tunnel or bridge between Belvedere and Rainham
• List of crossings of the River Thames

References

1. "Improvements and Projects - Silvertown Tunnel". Transport for London. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
2. "Silvertown Tunnel". Transport for London.
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. https://www.scottainsliemep.org.uk/news/scott-writes-bright-green-labour-needs-scrap-silvertown-tunnel
5. https://twitter.com/andrewboff/status/1222564894761017345?s=21
6. https://www.londonlibdems.org.uk/siobhan_benita_launches_campaign_to_become_next_london_mayor
7. https://silvertowntunnel.co.uk/tag/sian-berry/
8. https://www.newhamrecorder.co.uk/news/lyn-brown-slams-silvertown-tunnel-1-6498510
9. https://silvertowntunnel.co.uk/2016/02/08/2874/
10. https://twitter.com/edwardjdavey/status/1274068059616088066?s=21
11. https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/labourclp244/pages/534/attachments/original/1449152734/silvertown_consultation_nov_2015.pdf?1449152734
12. https://853.london/2019/12/28/greenwich-council-leader-rejected-cross-borough-alliance-to-stop-silvertown-tunnel/
13. https://www.newhamrecorder.co.uk/news/environment/rokhsana-fiaz-sstc-urge-silvertown-tunnel-rethink-1-6202207
14. https://www.hackneycitizen.co.uk/2019/12/27/revealed-hackney-ditch-attempt-stop-silvertown-tunnel-rebuffed-other-councils/
15. https://www.mayorwatch.co.uk/goldsmith-unveils-plan-to-keep-london-moving/
16. https://www.southwarknews.co.uk/news/southwark-council-oppose-silvertown-tunnel-plans/
17. https://www.greenwich.co.uk/blogs/matt-pennycook/why-i-cannot-support-the-mayor-of-londons-silvertown-tunnel-proposals/
18. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/mar/02/silvertown-tunnel-an-environmental-betrayal-say-lib-dems
19. https://london.greenparty.org.uk/news/2015/10/05/toxic-silvertown-tunnel-should-be-rejected,-say-senior-london-greens/
20. "Fight this toxic tunnel: TfL launches new consultation into polluting, congesting Silvertown Tunnel".
21. https://www.londoncitizen.co.uk/2016/09/14/friends-earth-demands-mayor-john-biggs-fights-silvertown-tunnel/
22. "Three Extinction Rebellion activists held after Thames rig protest".
23. "Thames Gateway River Crossings". Transport for London. Archived from the original on 25 November 2005. Retrieved 24 February 2006.
24. "Silvertown Link". A rolling construction programme would see the project team for Thames Gateway Bridge moved straight on to Silvertown Link.
25. "River Crossings". The information on this web page relates to a consultation that was undertaken in February/March 2012.
26. "Have your say on the proposal for a new tunnel under the Thames at Silvertown".
27. "Silvertown Tunnel: Toll Consultation To Be Launched". The Londonist.
28. "The Silvertown Tunnel Order 2018", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2018/574
29. "TfL completes contract with Riverlinx consortium to design, build, finance and maintain Silvertown Tunnel". Transport for London. 25 November 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2020.

External links

• Silvertown Tunnel TfL project page
• 'No to Silvertown Tunnel' campaign
• Stop the Silvertown Tunnel Coalition