The Rotherhithe Tunnel could close for nine months after the Silvertown Tunnel opens in 2025 to allow for essential repairs to take place.
Transport for London confirmed on Friday that it has looked in detail at closing the 115-year-old tunnel to enable vital maintenance, which it warned would require “significant investment”. The nearest alternative road routes would be Tower Bridge and the Blackwall Tunnel.
The issue was raised by Tory mayoral candidate Susan Hall during Thursday’s Mayor’s Question Time session at City Hall. She told Labour mayor Sadiq Khan that she had heard the necessary repairs could in fact take 18 months and that its closure would worsen the capital’s traffic problems.
Khan said he did not recognise the 18-month timeframe but admitted the tunnel’s maintenance was “a source of concern”. He added that further Government funding was needed to pay for the repairs.
Hall later told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “The Rotherhithe Tunnel is a vital route in east London and any closures for refurbishment will cause significant disruption. Sadiq Khan needs to be transparent about the state of the tunnel, any safety concerns, and the timeline for closures, especially if disruption is expected before the Silvertown Tunnel is available as an alternative.”
The Silvertown Tunnel, which will run between the Greenwich Peninsula and the Royal Docks, is under construction and is due to open in the summer of 2025, at which point both it and the Blackwall Tunnel would charge tolls.
The need for repairs at the Rotherhithe Tunnel — which would remain free to use — has been known for some time. TfL warned nearly two years ago that the tunnel could face a year-long closure, which it said could cost £120 million.
Since December 2019, vehicles more than two metres high, two metres wide or goods vehicles weighing more than two tonnes have been banned from the Rotherhithe Tunnel due to safety concerns. Drivers who ignore the limits are fined up to £160.
A TfL spokeswoman said: “TfL continues to carry out work on our river crossings that is absolutely essential in the short-term to keep the network operating, while also planning the work required in the future to ensure they remain open in the long-term.
“While we have previously completed concept designs for the full refurbishment of the Rotherhithe Tunnel, carrying this out would be a significant investment and could require the tunnel to be closed for nine months.
“A full refurbishment would only go ahead following the opening of the Silvertown Tunnel to ensure that people can continue to cross the river. It remains vital that we secure more support from the government to renew our assets and make best use of every pound we invest in renewing our assets.”
The Department for Transport said it had given “unprecedented support to TfL”.
Editing and additional reporting by Darryl Chamberlain. Noah Vickers is the Local Democracy Reporter for City Hall, based at the Evening Standard. The Local Democracy Reporting Service is a BBC-funded scheme to help boost coverage of councils in the local media.