Blackwall Tunnel to close during upcoming weekends

Blackwall Tunnel in London is to close to southbound traffic across a number of weekends in May and June.

The closure is to help support carriageway works on the northbound Blackwall Tunnel approach. The closures, which are required to help implement the road configuration for the new Silvertown Tunnel, which is due to open in 2025, will take place across the weekends of 18-20 May, 1-3 June, 8-10 June and 29 June-1 July.

The closures will all start at 00:01 on the Saturday morning, with southbound traffic being restored by 5am on the Monday morning at the latest.

Drivers of vehicles more than two metres in height or weighing more than two tonnes are advised to consider routes away from central London across the weekends where possible. To help inform drivers, additional variable messaging signs will be placed on the main roads approaching the Blackwall Tunnel.

The Silvertown Tunnel, which is within the Ultra Low Emission Zone and will be subject to a user charge, is to provide a public transport-focused river crossing with zero-emission bus links across the Thames. Once open in 2025, the crossing will also reduce congestion and improve the reliability and resilience of the Blackwall Tunnel, intended to improve overall air quality in the local area.

Northbound traffic will not be affected by these closures as traffic will be diverted through the southbound Blackwall Tunnel when required. Drivers are advised to plan their routes in advance, checking before they travel so they can consider any other potential traffic impacts or restrictions, such as the height and weight limits at Rotherhithe Tunnel and Tower Bridge, both of which are outside the Congestion Charge zone. Traffic around Rotherhithe Tunnel and along the A13 Commercial Road is expected to be heavier than normal over the weekends due to the closures. The Woolwich Ferry, which now depart every 15 minutes, seven days a week, will also be in operation across the weekends.

The route 108, the only bus route that operates through the Blackwall Tunnel, will be split in two, operating between both Lewisham and North Greenwich and between Canning Town and Stratford.

• Further information about the closures can be found here