Transport for London (TfL) has announced a southbound closure of the Blackwall Tunnel this weekend.

The closures will be from 11pm on Saturday, November 16 until 5am on Monday November 18), to support works for the new Silvertown Tunnel, scheduled to open in 2025.

Northbound traffic will remain unaffected.

The closure is in place to help support carriageway and gantry works on the northbound Blackwall Tunnel approach.

To help implement the road configuration for the new Silvertown Tunnel, which will open in 2025, these closures are required as the works cannot be safely carried out with traffic passing by given its location, according to TfL.

A further overnight closure on Friday, November 15 may also be required, and TfL will confirm whether this is required nearer the time.

Route 108, the only bus through the tunnel, will split across the weekend, with services running from Lewisham to North Greenwich and from Canning Town to Stratford.

Passengers should use the Jubilee line to cross the river, and TfL will provide automatic refunds for this part of the journey.

Heavy goods vehicles and tall vans are encouraged to seek alternative routes to avoid central London.

Variable messaging signs and third-party apps like Waze will notify drivers of the closure.

From 12.01am on the Monday mornings of the closure, northbound buses will return to their normal route and southbound buses will be diverted via Tower Bridge until the tunnel is re-opened to southbound traffic.

Work on the Silvertown Tunnel continues to progress. Recently, a planned emergency drill took place within the tunnel, planned closely with the local police and the emergency services, to allow TfL and Riverlinx to test various tunnel systems.

TfL has also now commenced work on a new timber noise barrier along parts of Westcombe Hill, Siebert Road, and Invicta Road to address pre-existing noise along the western edge of the A102, between the junction with the B210 Charlton Road and the railway viaduct.