_4.jpg)
If you’re driving a van or anything taller than a milk carton, you’ve got a problem. The tunnel has a height limit of 4.0 metres, which sounds generous until you’re a nervous newbie in a rental truck, sweating bullets as your roof antenna scrapes the grimy tiles above.
In 2026, a massive lorry got wedged in the southbound tunnel like a cork in a bottle. It was stuck for hours. The traffic jam stretched back so far that archaeologists later discovered a buried Roman settlement while people were waiting to turn around. That delay cost drivers in lost wages and petrol—and it was all free of charge.
So, financially, it’s a bargain. In terms of blood pressure, it’s a heart attack waiting to happen.
Surprising Facts to Drop at Your Next Dinner Party
Did you know the Blackwall Tunnel was opened in 1897? That makes it older than your great-grandma’s kettle, and it looks it. The original northbound bore is so narrow that when two cars meet, one driver has to hold their breath and pray.
It was the longest underwater tunnel in the world when it launched. Today, it’s the longest test of patience in South London. Also: it was built without a safety escape tunnel in the middle, so if you get stuck, your only exit is to sprout gills or wait for a tow truck.
TfL sets out new charges for using Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels
Oh, and the ventilation fans? They’re so loud that locals claim you can hear them from three miles away, humming a low-pitched dirge that sounds like “you will never leave.”
