Drivers on Monday suffered rush hour misery as months-long road restrictions began near a key Thames crossing caused by the construction of the Silvertown tunnel.
The southbound Blackwall tunnel was closed twice due to crashes, leading to long tail-backs and adding to pressure being caused by new lane closures.
Problems were further worsened by drivers choosing to divert from the Dartford crossing due to a protest by eco activists.
The QEII bridge, which normally carries southbound traffic from the M25, was closed when two Just Stop Oil campaigners scaled the bridge’s suspension wires.
Southbound traffic was diverted through the Dartford tunnel, which is normally used only by northbound vehicles, but delays of about an hour were reported.
At the Blackwall tunnel, the “fast” lane nearest the central reservation on the A102 in both directions will be closed for a fortnight.
This will be followed by the closure of one of the three lanes carrying southbound traffic being closed between Boord Street and the A102 slip road to Blackwall Lane from October 31 until next summer.
The A102’s northbound carriageway will return to three-lane operation from the end of the month.
Drivers looking to use the Woolwich ferry as an alternative way to cross the Thames had to contend with the start of a five-day strike by ferry workers belonging to the Unison union.
The action over pay meant that only one of the two ferries was in operation.
Tunnelling work on the £1.2bn private finance initiative-funded Silvertown tunnel began last month. The tunnel boring machine is digging from the Royal Docks to the Greenwich Peninsula, a distance of almost a mile.
When it reaches Greenwich, the machine will be turned round and it will start digging the second of the two tunnels. The crossing is due to open in 2025. Drivers using both the Silvertown tunnel and the Blackwall tunnel will have to pay a toll from that date.
