Tunnelling underway for new river crossing at Silvertown

REDUCING CONGESTION, SUPPORTING GROWTH

The 1.4km Silvertown Tunnel will link Newham to the Greenwich Peninsula and provide improved traffic links across the Thames when it opens in 2025. By reducing congestion at the Blackwall Tunnel and creating a more reliable river crossing for cars, vans and lorries, it will support economic growth across east and south east London. It will also provide better access to new job opportunities and support new housing and business developments across the wider area.

Private finance, which has been specifically raised for this scheme, is providing the vast majority of the funding.

PRE-TUNNELLING CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY

Since construction work on the project began in 2020, a huge amount of work has been delivered to prepare for the start of tunnelling, including the delivery of the launch chamber for the tunnel boring machine (TBM). This is a conveyor system built to remove excavated materials and also repairs to the river wall made to ensure it is not affected while tunnelling takes place. Around 780 people are working full time on the project, including a number of local apprentices who are benefiting from working on a major construction project in their area.

LIMITING CONSTRUCTION TRAFFIC AND EMISSIONS

Across the course of the project, nearly 600,000 tonnes of material will be excavated and removed from site via barges along the river as part of the project’s wider commitment to keep construction traffic and associated emissions to a minimum. More than 150 barges have already been used to deliver or remove materials and waste from site, removing at least 18,000 lorries from the road. The excavated materials from tunnelling will be transported along the Thames via the barge to a former landfill site in Essex as part of a restoration scheme.

MINIMISING THE IMPACT FOR LONDONERS

“The start of tunnelling is a huge step forward for this project and we are committed to working hard to ensure that it is delivered with minimal impact to Londoners,” said Helen Wright, Head of the Silvertown Tunnel programme at Transport for London (TfL).

This was a sentiment echoed by Juan Angel Martinez, Project Director at Riverlinx CJV. He said: “This really is a terrific achievement which has only been made possible by the excellent effort and collaboration of everyone involved. I’m very proud of everything this project and our team is delivering.”

Natalie Chapman, Head of Policy – South, Logistics UK, said: “For many years the Blackwall Tunnel has been a notorious pinch point linking south east and east London, often leading to lengthy delays for drivers. Now that tunnelling has begun, the Silvertown Tunnel promises to create some much-needed extra road capacity across the Thames. Once complete it will provide a welcome boost to businesses in the capital and fundamentally improve connectivity in east and south east London.”

*www.logistics.org.uk/urban

Published On: 15/09/2022 15:45:00

Comments Section

If you are a Logistics UK member login to add comments.