Traffic management specialists Blakedale are working with Riverlinx, the consortium delivering the project for Transport for London (TfL), to support the daily operation and maintenance of the new Thames road tunnel between Greenwich and west Silvertown.
Silvertown Tunnel. Image: TfL
Built to relieve pressure on the nearby Blackwall Tunnel and improve cross-river connectivity, Silvertown is the first new road tunnel in London in over 30 years and forms part of TfL’s long-term infrastructure strategy.
Blakedale was selected to specify, build and maintain the Riverlinx specialist fleet which comprises two 3.5-tonne LTMA Urban Crash Cushion vehicles, three smaller Traffic Safety Vans – one of which is electric – and a 3.5-tonne dropside complete with tail lift.
The two Urban Crash Cushion vehicles are built on Ford Transit and Volkswagen Crafter chassis and are used to escort recovery vehicles and conduct rolling road closures when needed for debris removal or incident response. Crash tested to 70 km/h (43 mph) they are used to help protect operatives when working inside the tunnel.
The car-derived Traffic Management Vans include two high-specification Peugeot Partners which are used for daily inspection and routine patrolling duties, together with an electric Renault E-TECH Kangoo which reflects the growing demand for greener traffic management vehicles in London. Meanwhile the Ford Transit dropside with tail lift will remain on standby for general maintenance tasks in and around the tunnel.
All vehicles are fully Chapter 8 compliant with flashing LED lighting and reflective vehicle graphics and are in continuous 24/7 operation to meet the demands of day-and-night tunnel management in a very busy part of east London.
Blakedale Traffic Management Vehicle with Crash Cushion deployed. Image: Blakedale
The vehicles are supplied by Blakedale on a yearly rental with a full maintenance contract, which ensures ongoing compliance and availability.
John Hagan, CEO of Riverlinx, said: “Blakedale’s experience has been invaluable in shaping a fleet that meets the daily operational needs of everyone that uses the new tunnel. It will be particularly interesting to see how our electric van performs as it fits in with our aim of continuing to reduce emissions across all areas of our operation.”
Jon Taylor, Managing Director at Blakedale, said: “The Silvertown Tunnel is a major step forward for east London’s transport infrastructure, and we are proud to be working with Riverlinx to help keep it safe and operational.
“From the design and build phase to getting the LCVs fully liveried and mission-ready, this project demonstrates our ability to deliver bespoke commercial vehicle solutions for fleet operators. We continue to support public sector infrastructure projects like this one with new and exciting bespoke vehicles,” he added.
