Traders fume at risk to their businesses if Rotherhithe Tunnel is closed as threatened

By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter

Traders and residents near the Rotherhithe Tunnel are furious at plans to shut it for a year, saying customers will desert them and journeys will be delayed.

Businesses fear trade will drop off hugely as a result of the closure while those living close by are worried an extra hour will be added to trips out.

Transport for London (TfL) says it needs to close the road tunnel under the Thames between Rotherhithe and Limehouse to complete essential repairs.

The 114-year-old tunnel was originally built for horse and cart transport and is creaking under the weight of the 30,000 motorists passing through it each day.

Rotherhithe-based dog groomer, Karina Leigh, 50, fears customers from north of the river will stop coming if the tunnel shuts.

She said many people who go to her salon live in Wapping and drive to her through the Rotherhithe Tunnel.

She said: “It’s going to be horrendous. They will have to go all the way up to Tower Bridge and up Jamaica Road.

“They probably won’t come now because the traffic coming along Tower Bridge is ridiculous.”

Rotherhithe local, Pilar Rivillas, said the closure would delay her trips to visit friends who live north of the river.

She said: “I don’t use the tunnel much but it really concerns me still.

“If I want to get to the heart of London I will have to drive through the Blackwall Tunnel so it will take between 30 and 40 minutes longer.”

Pub manager Omer Oval, who runs Rotherhithe pub The Brunel, said he was concerned he might lose punters who travel across the river for comedy and karaoke nights.

The 38-year-old said: “We have different people here on the entertainment nights who might use the tunnel.

“It might make it harder to get here if they’re coming across the river.”

Resident, David, 54, who didn’t want to give his surname, said the closure could add up to an hour to his supermarket trip.

He said: “It would be a nuisance. I use the tunnel at least once a week to go to the big Tesco in Beckton.

“If I’m going that side of the river that’s pretty much the only way across because Tower Bridge is packed and Blackwall Tunnel is packed.”

The engineer added he had noticed the tunnel was in a bad condition.

He said: “It’s thick fog down there. It’s very bad.

“I don’t think the ventilation is working. But they can fix that without shutting the tunnel.”

A TfL spokesperson said: “Undertaking the required works presents significant challenges, as the flow of traffic is bi-directional within a single bore, together with usage by cyclists and pedestrians.

“These factors, coupled with the construction and geometry of the tunnel, mean the method of refurbishment has a significant impact on the cost and duration of the works.

“The quickest and cheapest method of refurbishment would be through a single block closure, which could be completed in less than a year and would cost in the order of £120m (current prices).

“If the work was undertaken during weekend and night-time closures, the refurbishment could take several years to complete and likely to be substantially more expensive.”