OnoMatopee schreef op 23 februari 2023 15:28:
Silvertown Tunnel now £13M over budget as opening slips back
23 FEB, 2023 BY ELLA JESSEL
The Silvertown Tunnel's costs have risen again and its opening delayed further as "inflationary pressure" hits the east London project.
Transport for London (TfL) has reported that while good progress has been made on the 1.4km Thames tunnel, its capital costs on the project are now running £13M over budget.
This is an additional £1M since the last update in December, according to meeting papers released ahead of TfL’s next Programmes and Investment Committee on 1 March.
"The main change in EFC [estimated final cost] since the last report is owing to further inflationary pressure", the report said. The EFC is now £186M, compared to the original £173M figure.
The report also reveals the opening date has been pushed back again with the road tunnel now not expected to be open until June. The opening had already been moved from April to May.
According to the report, the delay is due to shortages in skilled labour and the supply of construction materials, which have resulted "in the permit to use date moving from April to June 2025".
Construction costs are being incurred by the Riverlinx consortium which has a design, build, maintain and finance contract.
The joint venture is formed of Bam Nuttall, Ferrovial Construction and SK Ecoplant and has the contract to design, build and maintain the tunnel. Industry estimates put the cost at up to £2bn over the 30 year contract.
According to TfL, the tunnel-boring machine (TBM) is due to arrive in the rotation chamber this month, completing the southbound tunnel drive and marking a "significant milestone" for this programme.
The start of tunnelling began at the end of August 2022 and the TBM achieved a peak production of 32m per day.
The 1.4km twin bored Silvertown Tunnel will connect south London with the Tidal Basin Roundabout in Silvertown, in a bid to relieve congestion at the Blackwall Tunnel.
The tunnel has caused controversy since its inception with opponents claiming that its construction will lead to higher levels of pollution in the area.
In April last year, a group of 52 academics and campaigners called for an “emergency review” to be carried out to determine if the East London project is in line with the UK’s climate change objectives.