The amount motorists will have to pay to drive through the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels will not be revealed until December, it has emerged.
Transport for London revealed in July that it proposed to charge car drivers a peak-hours fee of £4 per crossing, and £1.50 off peak – as long as they registered for the “TfL Auto Pay” system that automatically debits their account.
The Blackwall tunnel is currently free to use and has been since the crossing first opened almost 130 years ago.
But it will be tolled at the same rates as the new Silvertown twin-bore tunnel to prevent drivers diverting from one to the other.
A decision on the exact amount drivers will pay had been expected this autumn. But a final decision is now expected in December, probably at the TfL board meeting on December 4.
It has also been confirmed the Silvertown tunnel, which has been built under a £2bn PFI finance scheme, will open in the first quarter of 2025, according to a report prepared for TfL’s programmes and investment committee.
First proposed during Boris Johnson’s time as mayor, it was retained by Sadiq Khan despite determined protests from campaigners and the opposition of Labour-run councils including Newham and Greenwich.
Recent sightings of Silvertown show that work is well advanced at the tunnel’s northern portal at Canning Town, near City Hall – raising the possibility that it opens slightly ahead of current schedule, though still behind the timeline first proposed.
Here’s what the area around the northern portal of the Silvertown tunnel looks like now: pic.twitter.com/eZPjHEBOaO
— Ross Lydall (@RossLydall) September 29, 2024
Under the draft toll structure that went out to consultation in July, car drivers will pay £1.50 per crossing between 6am and 10pm, seven days a week.
The charge would increase to £4 for northbound journeys between 6am and 10am and southbound journeys 4pm to 7pm on weekdays. Between 10pm and 6am there would be no charge.
However there have been concerns that the £1.50 rate is £1 cheaper than the £2.50 charged for the Dartford crossing – raising the possibility that traffic could divert through south-east and east London in preference to remaining on the M25.
Concerns have also been expressed that drivers could seek to avoid paying to cross the Thames and divert to the smaller Rotherhithe tunnel, thus worsening congestion in inner London and resulting in it also being tolled.
The Silvertown tunnel links North Greenwich with the Royal Docks and Canning Town on the north side of the Thames. Drivers have suffered frequent weekend closures of the southbound Blackwall tunnel while work at Silvertown is completed.
The report to the programmes and investment committee, which is due to meet on October 3, states: “At both Greenwich and Silvertown, backfilling of the cut-and-cover areas has completed and landscaping has begun.
“The installation of mechanical, electrical and power systems continues within the tunnels. Cable pulling is progressing well and approximately 75km of electrical cable has been fitted over the quarter.
“Drainage works continue, along with road resurfacing, and safety barrier installation has started. Fit-out works are progressing at both portal buildings, with the scaffolding coming down and final exterior finishes being installed.
“Planning for the Silvertown Tunnel bus network continues to support the planned increase in the number of buses able to cross the river in this area from five to 21 buses an hour in each direction in the busiest times, from 7am to 7pm, Monday to Friday.
“All the buses in the Silvertown Tunnel opening bus network will be zero-emission at the tailpipe, which marks a step change in bus accessibility in London, east of Tower Bridge.
“During the consultation Londoners were able to comment on the proposed tunnel-user charges, discounts and exemptions.
“This will enable TfL to ensure the user change and range of discounts, both of which will be subject to approval, have been informed by feedback from the public. It is anticipated that the decision will take place in December 2024.”
