Transport for London and Riverlinx Limited, the consortium designing, building, operating and maintaining the new Silvertown Tunnel, have confirmed that they are planning for the new route to open on 7 April.
First announced in 2012, the near-one mile (1.4km) Silvertown Tunnel will link Newham to the Greenwich Peninsula, aimed at making journeys faster and more reliable, with average journey time savings expected to be up to 20 minutes at peak times.
To help manage traffic levels across the Silvertown and Blackwall tunnels, repay costs for building the new Silvertown Tunnel, and cover ongoing maintenance and operation costs at both tunnels, a user charge will be introduced on 7 April 2025. TfL says that, without introducing this user charge at both tunnels, there would likely be high levels of traffic and congestion in the area, which would lead to detrimental air quality impacts, as well as longer journey times.
With construction work on the Silvertown project now coming towards a close, and operational readiness testing underway ahead of the tunnel opening, work is moving to installing the infrastructure which will support the new zero-emission bus routes that will serve the Silvertown Tunnel – including the new cycle-shuttle service under the Thames.
For at least 12 months from 7 April 2025, the new cross-river bus routes serving Greenwich, Newham, and Tower Hamlets – including the new Superloop SL4 which runs from Grove Park to Canary Wharf, will be free.
TfL will also shortly begin to install the new shelters and cycle racks for the zero-emission cycle-shuttle service, which will have a bespoke design to support cyclists and distinguish them from the regular bus network. The service will operate every 12 minutes, seven days a week from 06:30 to 21:30. It will have two stops, one on each side of the river, with the ‘north’ stop located on Seagull Lane close to Royal Victoria DLR station, and the ‘south’ stop located on Millennium Way near the junction with Old School Close.
Work on Tidal Basin Roundabout, together with new walking and cycling routes around the roundabout and along Dock Road has also recently been completed, with work on improving Lower Lea Crossing for all road users currently underway and due to be complete by the end of spring 2025.
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