The Blackwall Tunnel is the name given to a pair of road tunnels underneath the River Thames in east London, linking the London Borough of Greenwich with the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. A disused railway tunnel now converted to pedestrian and bicycle use, near Houyet, Belgium A tunnel is an underground passage. ... Length 346 km Elevation of the source 110 m Average discharge entering Oxford: 17. ... St. ... The London Borough of Greenwich is a London borough in southeast London, formed in 1965 my merging the former metropolitan boroughs of Greenwich and Woolwich. ... The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London borough to the east of the City of London and north of the River Thames in East London. ...

Overview

The southern entrances are just west of the Millennium Dome on the Greenwich Peninsula; the northern portal lies just south of the A13 in Poplar. The Millennium Dome is a large dome on the Greenwich peninsula in the Docklands area in Eastern London, at grid reference TQ391801. ... The Greenwich Peninsula, sometimes known as the Blackwall Peninsula is in the London Borough of Greenwich that the River Thames circumnavigates. ... Poplar is an area of the East End of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. ...

The tunnel crossing is a key link between north and south sides of the river and forms part of a key route into central London from south-east London and Kent. The southern approach takes traffic from the A2 trunk route (for some years, the section north of the A2 Rochester Way Relief Road was regarded as a motorway (the A102M); however, this reverted back to being the A102 in September 1999 when the opening of the A12 north of the tunnel prompted a rationalisation of the area's road numbering systems). Kent is a county in England, south-east of London. ... A motorway (in United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand and some other Commonwealth nations) is both a type of road and a classification. ...

History

The western tunnel was built at the end of the 19th century, while the other was added some 70 years later. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The older western tunnel, designed by Sir Alexander Binnie and built by S Pearson & Sons for the London County Council at a cost of £1.4 million, was opened by the Prince of Wales on 22 May 1897. It was then the longest underwater tunnel in the world at 4,410 feet (1,344 m) long. It took six years to construct, using tunnelling shield and compressed air techniques (shield pioneer James Henry Greathead was a consultant; Sir Joseph Bazalgette was also involved in the original planning of the project), and seven people died in the process. To clear the site in Greenwich, more than 600 houses had to be demolished, including one reputedly once owned by Sir Walter Raleigh. Sir Alexander Binnie was a civil engineer responsible for several major engineering projects, including several associated with crossings of the River Thames in London. ... The County of London, shown within a map of Englands 1890 counties London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London from 1889 until 1965, when it was replaced by the Greater London Council. ... This page has been protected from editing to deal with vandalism. ... May 22 is the 142nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (143rd in leap years). ... 1897 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... A tunnelling shield is a protective structure used in the excavation of tunnels through soil that is too soft or fluid to remain stable during the time it takes to line the tunnel with a support structure of concrete or steel. ... Pneumatics, from the Greek πνευματικός (pneumatikos, coming from the wind) is the use of pressurized air in science and technology. ... James Henry Greathead (6 August 1844 - 21 October 1896) was an engineer renowned for his work on the underground railway networks of London. ... Memorial to Sir Joseph Bazalgette on Victoria Embankment Sir Joseph William Bazalgette (28 March 1819 – 15 March 1891) was one of the great Victorian civil engineers. ... Alternatively, Professor Walter Raleigh was a scholar and author circa 1900. ...

Today the western bore is only used for north-bound traffic (and is not accessible to high-sided vehicles). The southern portal features a striking gateway built of red brick. The tunnel itself has several sharp bends. Some suggest these were built so that horses would not bolt once they saw the daylight (motor vehicles were rare in 1897), though the bends may also have been created so that the tunnel avoided the foundations of other structures. The tunnel carries two lanes of traffic, though higher vehicles need to keep to the left-hand lane so that they do not hit the tunnel's inner lining.

The newer, eastern, tunnel, opened on 2 August 1967, is much wider, with fewer height restrictions and no sharp corners — very much designed for 20th century road traffic. August 2 is the 214th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (215th in leap years), with 151 days remaining. ... 1967 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the...

Traffic management

The Blackwall Tunnel is a notorious traffic bottleneck. Long tailbacks form in the morning 'rush-hour' on weekdays as traffic heads north from SE London and Kent towards central London. The transport authorities therefore try to increase flows by opening one lane of the eastern tunnel to northbound traffic for two hours; this, of course, means there is only one lane for southbound traffic so the northern approaches quickly become jammed each morning. Unfortunately, the western tunnel is not suitable to operate a similar two-way flow in the evening, so the northern approaches are frequently even more congested in the late afternoon/early evening.

The nearest alternative crossings are the Rotherhithe Tunnel three miles (5km) to the west or the Woolwich Ferry two miles (3 km) to the east. The Rotherhithe tunnel is a road tunnel crossing beneath the River Thames in east London. ... The Woolwich Ferry is a service across the River Thames linking Woolwich in the London Borough of Greenwich with North Woolwich in the London Borough of Newham. ...

The tunnels do not allow pedestrians, but a bus route (number 108) operates through the tunnel. When the service is not running, the nearest pedestrian crossings of the river are the Woolwich foot tunnel adjacent to the Woolwich Ferry (see above) and the Greenwich foot tunnel about two miles (3 km) to the west. The Woolwich foot tunnel is a tunnel crossing under the River Thames in east London from Woolwich in the London Borough of Greenwich to North Woolwich in the London Borough of Newham. ... Greenwich side entrance, with a similar Tower Hamlets side entrance visible in the distance to the right The Greenwich foot tunnel is a pedestrian tunnel crossing beneath the River Thames in east London, linking the London Borough of Greenwich to the south with the London Borough of Tower Hamlets to...

External links

• UK Roads Portal (Links to information about the UK road network)

This is a list of crossings of the River Thames, downstream first. ... The Jubilee Line is a line on the London Underground, coloured grey on the Tube map. ... Exterior of Canary Wharf tube station Interior view under station canopy Concourse of Canary Wharf station Concourse and concourse roof of Canary Wharf station A Jubilee Line train stopped at Canary Wharf underground station Canary Wharf tube station is a London Underground station on the Jubilee Line, between Canada Water... North Greenwich tube station on the Jubilee Line opened in time for the Millennium celebrations at the end of 1999 - it is adjacent to the Millennium Dome at the northern end of an area sometimes referred to as the Greenwich peninsula. ... The Jubilee Line is a line on the London Underground, coloured grey on the Tube map. ... Canning Town station is a major intermodal transport interchange situated at Canning Town in East London. ... North Greenwich tube station on the Jubilee Line opened in time for the Millennium celebrations at the end of 1999 - it is adjacent to the Millennium Dome at the northern end of an area sometimes referred to as the Greenwich peninsula. ...