Cancellation of final weekend closure means entire weekend closure programme reduced by 40 per cent.
"We believe these works will now be completed more than a year ahead of the original programme"
Garrett Emmerson
Chief Operating Officer for London Streets at TfL

We believe these works will now be completed more than a year ahead of the original programme

Safety refurbishment works firmly on track for completion by December 2011 - one year ahead of original schedule.

Transport for London (TfL) is also installing an over-height vehicle detection lane to help further reduce unnecessary delays through the tunnel.

TfL has announced that owing to the completion of essential works it now no longer requires the final weekend closures of the northbound Blackwall Tunnel.

That means there will be no more planned weekend closures as part of the ongoing safety refurbishment works.

Closing the tunnel to southbound traffic during the weekend allowed improvements to be made to the 113-year-old tunnel that could not be carried out during the scheduled weeknight closures.

Conscious of the inconvenience that such major improvement schemes can cause Londoners, TfL has worked hard with its contractors to change working methods to prevent the need for closures and complete the refurbishment as quickly as possible.

By no longer requiring the final weekend closure, TfL has reduced the overall weekend closure programme from ten weekends down to six; a total reduction of 40 per cent.

TfL continues to make excellent progress with the refurbishment works, which  have a completion date of December 2011, allowing the tunnel to be remain open overnight during the busy Christmas shopping period.

Ahead of schedule

Garrett Emmerson, Chief Operating Officer for London Streets at TfL said: 'From the outset, we have been especially conscious of the disruption and inconvenience that these essential works would cause.

'I am therefore very pleased that we can confirm there will be no further weekend closures and we believe these works will now be completed more than a year ahead of the original programme.'

The scale of these refurbishment works is such that a similar programme of work within the tunnel should not be required for another 25 years.

Work carried out as part of the programme has included the installation and commissioning of new ventilation fans in the tunnel's four shafts as well as the installation of new lighting, upgraded CCTV and new communication systems throughout the tunnel.

TfL has also begun installing 26 inlets in the tunnel wall (including emergency phones and fire extinguishers) to provide a safe area for any drivers whose vehicles have broken down within the tunnel.

These improvements mean that when the works are completed, the tunnel will be safer for motorists and more capable of dealing with any disruption.

In addition, TfL has also begun installing an over-height vehicle detection lane on an experimental basis on the northbound Blackwall Tunnel approach.

When completed in late summer 2011, this lane will help TfL continue to reduce the number of over-height vehicles that close the northbound Blackwall Tunnel, which cause hours of unnecessary delays to road users every month.

Notes to editors:

  • The northbound Blackwall Tunnel refurbishment programme will include the installation of new fire and incident detection systems and a new CCTV camera system, along with better access for emergency services. These improvements will make the tunnel meet the latest safety standards and will help to ensure the safe continued use of the tunnel, which was built in 1897 and carries 50,000 vehicles a day
  • While the refurbishment works are carried out, northbound traffic is diverted through the southbound tunnel. Because the diversion involves chicanes, a 20mph speed limit is put in place each night and enforced by average speed cameras. Southbound traffic uses other river crossings
  • There is no toll for using the Dartford/Thurrock river crossing between 22:00 and 06:00
  • While the northbound tunnel is closed for refurbishment works, the route 108 (the only bus to use the Blackwall Tunnel) is affected. For more details, please visit the TfL website or check local information at bus stops
  • Following the completion of the Blackwall Tunnel refurbishment scheme, TfL will still require the closure of either the northbound or southbound Blackwall Tunnel between 00:00 and 08:00 on Sunday morning for weekly maintenance of the tunnel