Tunneling work is under way for a new road link under the River Thames, east of the UK capital, London. The first borehole of the 1.4km tunnel is driven by the TBM, which will then turn around to drive the second borehole.

The Silvertown Tunnel Link will provide much-needed transport links and reduce congestion at the existing Blackwall Tunnel, which is notorious for frequent queues and traffic delays during peak hours. The new project is not without its critics, but they claim the link will increase pollution from car exhaust in the area around the north-south gateway.

The tunnel will connect Newham and the Greenwich Peninsula and provide an improved bus link across the Thames when it opens in 2025. According to Transport for London, reducing congestion in the Blackwall Tunnel and providing new bus links across the river will provide more reliable river crossings for drivers. It will also contribute to economic growth in east and south-east London. The project is expected to cost 1.17 billion euros. Keywords: engineering news, overseas news

The project was delivered through a design, build, finance, operate and maintain contract by the Riverlinx consortium comprising abrdn, Invesis, Cintra, Macquarie Capital and SK ecoplant. The vast majority of the funding came from private funds raised specifically for the program.Editor/XingWentao