A ‘major regeneration’ of a Victorian-tunnel is causing controversy despite being approved in 2018,. The Silvertown Tunnel expansion, set to open in spring 2025, will connect Silvertown to the Greenwich Peninsula in east London, reports the Mirror.
The new 1.4km road tunnel will feature dedicated bus lanes and improvements for pedestrians and cyclists around the tunnel entrances. It’s designed to ‘reduce congestion, delays and queues’, potentially cutting peak time journeys across the river by up to 20 minutes.
There will also be more public transport options, with 21 zero-emission buses an hour travelling each way between 7am and 7pm Monday-Friday. Transport for London (TFL) said: “The Blackwall Tunnel was never designed for the levels of traffic that now need to cross the river.
“Incidents with larger, unsuitable vehicles frequently cause delays and closures; Idling traffic builds up, often leading to tailbacks of several miles in just a few minutes. This increases journey times, as drivers either queue in traffic or choose longer routes to avoid the tunnel. It also has a negative impact on air quality.”
TfL added the forthcoming tunnel is anticipated to alleviate the deleterious impact of vehicular congestion on air quality along some of London’s most contaminated routes. The organisation has been diligently tracking air quality for a span reaching three years in five distinct boroughs and plans to perpetuate this monitoring for at least another three years following the opening of the tunnel.
“This is to make sure the tunnel user charge levels are working and the project meets its objectives,” TfL explained. Charges will be levied on those driving through the tunnel as a means to finance its construction and upkeep.
This, however, is not the root cause of local resistance to the £2.2 billion initiative, which has seen a substantial proportion of the financial load shouldered by private financing. TfL envisions granting access to larger Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) via the Silvertown Tunnel, thereby precluding the need for these emission-heavy vehicles to traverse the Dartford Crossing.
Opponents like those in Greenwich and Newham fear this could usher more HGVs into their realms. Victoria Rance from the Stop Silvertown Tunnel Coalition voiced concerns the overhaul might escalate carbon emissions and deteriorate air quality in already compromised areas.
She noted: “It’s going to take 25,000 to 30,000 vehicles into Newham. It’s going to attract new HGVs into Greenwich, past our schools and our kids and into Newham – the most polluted borough in the UK.”
Shila Keeble, of the Greenwich Society, expressed concerns to the BBC that the tunnel would become a hotspot for increased traffic. She commented: “One of the issues we have is all the developers are now looking at building distribution centres,” and added, “At the moment the Blackwall Tunnel protects us from bigger traffic… Silvertown won’t.”
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