Drivers in London will have to pay a toll when using the Blackwall Tunnel from Monday as the new Silvertown Tunnel opens, linking the east of the Capital to the southeast.
The charge will be implemented on the Silvertown Tunnel as well, as drivers will pay £8 for return journeys at peak times while large vans will have to fork out £13.
Announcing the development’s opening, Sadiq Khan said on social media it was “transforming travel across the Thames, cutting journey times & improving air quality. With a greener design, new free zero-emission buses & cycle shuttle, it will encourage more people to switch to greener transport.”
These charges are being put in place to help manage traffic levels across the tunnels, as well as helping to repay costs for building the new tunnel and fund its ongoing maintenance and operation, according to Transport for London.
Those driving through either tunnel will have to pay each time they cross, unless they or their vehicle is exempt from paying the charge. These costs will apply from 6am to 10pm, seven days a week in both directions, and the tunnels are set to be open 24 hours a day every day of the week.
The Silvertown Tunnel is a 1.4km long tunnel stretching from Silvertown, east London, to the Greenwich Peninsula in south east London. The project was approved by mayor Sadiq Khan, having first been proposed in 2012.
Costing £2.2 billion, it has been funded through private finance and TfL are set to pay back £100 million a year through the money made via the toll.
It will run adjacent to the Blackwall Tunnel, built in the Victorian era, which takes drivers from near the O2 Arena under the River Thames to the East India Dock Road in Blackwall.
The Silvertown Tunnel was built with the aim of reducing congestion and air quality around the Blackwall Tunnel, as TfL predicted they were set to worsen as London’s population grows.
They said the user charges would help manage the environmental impact of traffic.
TfL have said the new tunnel will offer new routes for more people, as around 21 buses are set to travel through it every hour from 7am til 7pm, Monday to Friday. There will also be a dedicated bike bus shuttle service to transport cyclists and their bikes across the river.
The Silvertown development is the first new Thames tunnel for 58 years.
