A key road tunnel under the Thames could have to close for nine months from 2025 to allow for essential repairs to take place, the Standard has learned.
Transport for London (TfL) confirmed on Friday that it has looked in detail at closing the 115-year-old Rotherhithe Tunnel to enable vital maintenance, which it warned would require “significant investment”.
The tunnel links Limehouse, north of the river, with Rotherhithe to the south. The nearest alternative road routes across the Thames are Tower Bridge in central London and the Blackwall Tunnel, east of Canary Wharf.
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.
Mr 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.
Ms Hall later told the Standard: "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 Silvertown Tunnel is available as an alternative."
The Silvertown Tunnel is a new road route currently being built under the Thames which will link the Greenwich Peninsula with Silvertown, in Docklands north of the river.
The new tunnel is expected to open in 2025, after which point it is not known precisely when the Rotherhithe Tunnel would potentially close.
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 Government to renew our assets and make best use of every pound we invest in renewing our assets.”
A spokeswoman at the Department for Transport said: “Central Government has given unprecedented support to TfL.
“Just this week we announced a new £250 million capital funding settlement for them as well as more than £9 million extra for the maintenance of their roads – part of over £6.6 billion of central Government support they have received since March 2020, on top of £2 billion a year in retainedâ¯business rates.
“TfL is responsible for the maintenance of London transport, including the Rotherhithe Tunnel.”
