London to get new tunnel under Thames to ease traffic

London mayor Boris Johnson yesterday promised to deliver a new tunnel for road traffic under the Thames in the east of the capital within the next 10 years.

The proposed tunnel, linking the Greenwich peninsula and Silvertown in the Royal Docks, would have a capacity of 2,400 vehicles an hour in each direction, and would relieve the pressure on existing tunnels at Blackwall and Rotherhithe to the west.

Johnson described the tunnel as part of a package of investment in transport to support the capital's growth.

He also promised a new ferry crossing between Beckton and Thamesmead at Gallions Reach that would open to traffic by 2017, creating a further transport link in east London.

"When I look at London, I see a city of incredible potential and tonight I will make the case for a huge new phase of investment in the capital, including a major new river crossing east of Tower Bridge,'' said Johnson.

''We are in the right time zone, speak the right language and have the young, skilled population to continue to attract investment from the world's greatest businesses. This is not a time for London to falter it is a time for London to flourish.''