The Blackwall Tunnel, London. Open Daily. Free Admission.

Details

Accessibility

The Tunnels are not accessible by foot.

Brief description

Road tunnel, consisting of two bores, under the River Thames in East London, connecting Tower Hamlets in the north to Greenwich in the south.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwall_Tunnel

2023: "The Blackwall Tunnel is a pair of road tunnels underneath the River Thames in east London, England, linking the London Borough of Tower Hamlets with the Royal Borough of Greenwich, and part of the A102 road. The northern portal lies just south of the East India Dock Road (A13) in Blackwall[a]; the southern entrances are just south of The O2 on the Greenwich Peninsula.[b] The road is managed by Transport for London (TfL).

The tunnel was originally opened as a single bore in 1897 by the Prince of Wales, as a major transport project to improve commerce and trade in London's East End, and supported a mix of foot, cycle, horse-drawn and vehicular traffic. By the 1930s, capacity was becoming inadequate, and consequently a second bore opened in 1967, handling southbound traffic while the earlier 19th century tunnel handles northbound.

The northern approach takes traffic from the A12 and the southern approach takes traffic from the A2, making the tunnel crossing a key link for both local and longer-distance traffic between the north and south sides of the river. It forms part of a key route into Central London from South East London and Kent and was the easternmost all-day crossing for vehicles before the opening of the Dartford Tunnel in 1963.

It remains the easternmost free fixed road crossing of the Thames, and regularly suffers congestion, to the extent that tidal flow schemes were in place from 1978 until controversially removed in 2007. Given the very high traffic volumes at the crossing (and the height restrictions of the Victorian bore) the crossing is being supplemented by the Silvertown Tunnel, currently under construction. When the Silvertown Tunnel is completed in 2025, both it and the Blackwall Tunnels will be tolled.[4]

The tunnels are no longer open to pedestrians, cyclists or other non-motorised traffic,[1] and the northbound tunnel has a 4.0-metre (13.1 ft) height limit. The London Buses route 108 between Lewisham and Stratford runs through the tunnels.

Nearest alternative crossings:

TfL state that one of the major issues with the Blackwall Tunnels is the lack of resilience in the event of an incident[32]—as the nearest alternative road crossings are the Rotherhithe Tunnel 2 mi (3 km) to the west, Tower Bridge 3 mi (5 km) to the west, and the Dartford Crossing 16 mi (26 km) to the east. The Woolwich Free Ferry is 2 mi (3 km) to the east, but is closed overnight, often reduced to one boat in operation, or completely closed at weekends. Variable message signs (VMS) near the tunnel inform drivers if the ferry is available.[33] When open, queuing for the ferry causes significant congestion around Woolwich town centre.[34]

Underground railway links include the Jubilee line from North Greenwich (TfL) to Canning Town on the east and Canary Wharf on the west. The Docklands Light Railway also passes under the Thames between Island Gardens at the southern end of the Isle of Dogs and Cutty Sark in the centre of Greenwich.

Horse-drawn traffic was partially banned from the tunnel during peak hours in July 1939[35] and completely banned in August 1947.[36] Pedestrians have been banned from using the Blackwall Tunnels since May 1969.[1]

The London Buses route 108 (Stratford–Lewisham) runs through the tunnels[37][38] and there are bus priority gates at both entrances to allow buses to avoid traffic congestion. On occasion in the past, the bus service has been escorted through the tunnel when it has been closed.[39]The Blackwall Tunnel is the only major road crossing of the Thames in East London, and consequently has very high traffic volumes. Furthermore, the limitations of the western bore of the tunnel (not accessible to vehicles taller than 4 m (13 ft)[14]), means that larger HGV and double decker buses cannot pass through the tunnel in both directions. Given this, an expansion of the crossing has been proposed for many years—such as a third bore of the tunnel, proposed in 1989[55]—however none of these proposals have come to fruition.

Following the cancellation of the Thames Gateway Bridge in 2008, a new crossing from the Greenwich Peninsula to Silvertown—the Silvertown Tunnel—was proposed by TfL. Following a public inquiry, the government approved the proposal in May 2018,[56] and the contract to build the tunnel was awarded in November 2019.[57] Construction began in March 2021.[58]

When completed, the Silvertown Tunnel will have two tunnels, one for each direction—with a dedicated HGV and bus lane. This will allow a substantial increase in cross-river traffic and bus services, as the new tunnel will be able to be used by double decker buses. Following completion of the new crossing in around 2025, both the Silvertown and Blackwall tunnels will be tolled.[4] "

Address

A102, Blackwall, London

Email

N/A

Phone

N/A

Website

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwall_Tunnel

https://tfl.gov.uk/hub/stop/490G00004084/blackwall-tunnel/

Directions

The Tunnel is OUTSIDE of the London Congestion Zone.

It is located at the head of the Greenwich Peninsula and carries the A102 below the River Thames.

OS TQ386802

Opening Times

24 Hours.

Transport

SOUTH ENTRANCE

Nearest bus stop is on A102 ~ Service Number 108.

Nearest Underground station is North Greenwich

Nearest Train Station is Westcombe Park.

NORTH ENTRANCE

Nearest bus stops are on the East India Dock Road where a number of buses stop.

Nearest Train Station is Blackwall.

For more travel information go to www.traveline.info or call 0871 200 22 33

Amenities

There are full amenities available on both sides of the river.