In short:

- Southbound Blackwall Tunnel shut September 30/October 1 and October 7/8
- Weeknight closures may also be needed
- Northbound tunnel open as normal, but bus route 108 split in both directions

The southbound Blackwall Tunnel will be closed on three more weekends in the coming months as work continues on the new Silvertown Tunnel next to it.

Traffic will be diverted away from the tunnel on September 30-October 1 and October 7-8 so a flyover being built over the new tunnel entrance can be finished. The tunnel will be closed from 0001 on the Saturday to 0500 on the Monday morning on both weekends.

Transport for London has also warned that weeknight closures may also be needed between October 2-6, depending on the progress of the work on the first weekend.

A third southbound closure is due to take place towards the end of October or start of November, but TfL has not yet confirmed details.

The northbound tunnel will run as normal, but the 108 bus will be split in both directions. Services will run from Stratford International to Canning Town and North Greenwich to Lewisham, with passengers able to use the Jubilee Line between the two sections at no extra cost. Southbound buses in the early hours on Mondays will run via Tower Bridge instead.

The Woolwich Ferry will run every 15-20 minutes during the daytime when the tunnel is affected by closures.

Silvertown Tunnel flyover
Southbound traffic will eventually run over this new flyover Image: Transport for London

“The Blackwall Tunnel is used by tens of thousands of vehicles every day and we appreciate that these works will have an impact on some drivers, said Carl Eddleston, TfL’s director of network management and resilience. 

“We have worked hard to try and limit the potential disruption these will cause, such as putting on a special service for the Woolwich Ferry and ensuring a northbound route can be maintained throughout these closures. 

“We will also be taking the opportunity to carry out works within and around the tunnel to help deliver future maintenance work more efficiently and ensure it continues to safely operate.”

The £2bn Silvertown Tunnel – which will link the Royal Docks with the Greenwich Peninsula – is due to open to traffic in two years’ time. Both it and the Blackwall Tunnel will be tolled, and the new tunnel will have a lane for HGVs and buses with cyclists expected to use a shuttle service. TfL and London mayor Sadiq Khan say it is needed to combat congestion around the Blackwall Tunnel, opponents say it will simply bring more traffic to the area by making car journeys more attractive.

Both Greenwich and Newham councils initially campaigned for the tunnel to be built, but later both joined other boroughs including Lewisham, Hackney and Southwark in opposing it. In June, one Greenwich councillor called it “a ticking timebomb waiting to go off”. Khan has accused critics of the tunnel of living in “never-never land”.

While the mayor has insisted the new tunnel will be “public transport-focused”, only two bus services will use it at the beginning. 

Contracts for the routes – the 129 from Lewisham to Beckton and the express SL4 from Canary Wharf to Grove Park – were awarded last week. They are set to be run by new electric buses from the Blue Triangle garage in North Woolwich, which was specially built for electric vehicles.