What has changed since last week?
The most immediate change arrives today.
New Blackwall and Silvertown Tunnel charges take effect from Monday 21 September, following TfL’s inflation-linked review. Charging hours remain unchanged at 06:00–22:00, seven days a week.
Also reaching an important date today are the temporary signals at A206 Plumstead Road / Pettman Crescent. TfL’s published programme lists 21 September as the planned end date for the works, which have included temporary traffic lights and a lane closure on Pettman Crescent.
Drivers should nevertheless check live conditions before assuming traffic management has been completely removed.
Woolwich and the A206
Completion of the Plumstead Road works would remove one familiar local restriction, but the wider A206 corridor remains under construction.
Lane restrictions continue at Woolwich Church Street and Frances Street as part of the Cycleway 4 programme, with sections of the project extending into 2027.
There are also continuing junction-improvement works around Woolwich Road / Charlton Church Lane.
So while one short-term pressure point may be disappearing, the A206 remains a corridor where drivers should expect changing layouts and reduced capacity.
Blackwall and Silvertown
The principal change this week is financial rather than operational.
The Blackwall and Silvertown Tunnel charging structure changes from today, while the charging period itself remains the same.
TfL’s first-year monitoring continues to report improved journey reliability across the paired tunnel system compared with the previous Blackwall-only arrangement.
No major planned daytime closure has been identified for either tunnel in this week’s outlook.
Woolwich Ferry
The Woolwich Ferry is currently showing good service, with TfL listing no planned pier closures.
As always, operational or technical problems can occur at short notice, so live status remains worth checking before relying on the crossing.
Dartford: another heavy maintenance week
The Dartford Crossing remains the main strategic disruption point.
National Highways has confirmed the west tunnel will close overnight from Monday 21 to Friday 25 September, generally between 21:00 and 05:30.
The most significant restriction comes at the weekend:
Saturday 26 September — QEII Bridge closed 21:00–09:00.
This forms part of the ongoing bridge-bearing replacement programme.
The following night, Sunday 27 September, the east tunnel closes from 22:30–05:30, with vehicles above 4.8 metres unable to use the remaining northbound tunnel.
Another run of west-tunnel closures then begins on Monday 28 September.
For overnight traffic, Dartford remains the part of the network requiring the most careful journey planning.
Greenwich Peninsula: Laver Cup week
The major event story this week is tennis.
The Laver Cup comes to The O2, beginning with a practice day on Thursday 24 September, followed by tournament sessions from Friday 25 through Sunday 27 September.
Unlike a single evening concert, this creates repeated daytime and evening demand around Greenwich Peninsula over several days.
Drivers should expect the possibility of heavier traffic around:
A102
Blackwall Lane
Millennium Way
Peninsula Square
Blackwall and Silvertown approaches
Friday through Sunday are likely to be the most relevant periods.
Bexley: long-term closure remains
The A223 Bexley High Street closure remains in place between Parkhill Road and Bourne Road for water-main replacement.
TfL currently lists the programme through 29 January 2027, with traffic diverted onto surrounding roads.
This has now moved firmly into the category of a long-term network restriction rather than a temporary inconvenience.
Dates to watch
21 September — revised Blackwall and Silvertown Tunnel charges begin.
21 September — published completion date for Plumstead Road / Pettman Crescent works.
24 September — Laver Cup practice day at The O2.
25–27 September — Laver Cup competition at The O2.
26 September — QEII Bridge closed overnight 21:00–09:00.
27 September — Dartford east tunnel overnight closure.
28 September — next west-tunnel maintenance sequence begins.
ROBELIUM Observation
This week has a slightly different character from the previous few editions.
Rather than multiple new local roadworks appearing at once, some of the shorter summer schemes are now reaching their planned end dates.
The A206 Plumstead restriction is the one to watch most closely.
If traffic management is removed as scheduled, that should improve one section of the Woolwich–Plumstead corridor, although the much larger Cycleway programme continues.
At strategic level, the story shifts towards Dartford maintenance and the new Blackwall/Silvertown charging period.
And around Greenwich Peninsula, the Laver Cup creates a different type of event pressure: sustained activity across several days rather than a single concert arrival and departure window.
The overall picture for 21–28 September is therefore:
some local improvement, continued long-term A206 works, stable London tunnel availability, but significant overnight Dartford restrictions and heavier Greenwich Peninsula traffic towards the weekend.
Disclaimer
This Traffic Intelligence update has been prepared using publicly available information from Transport for London, National Highways and The O2 checked for the week beginning 21 September 2026.
Roadworks, completion dates, tunnel closures, ferry operations and event arrangements can change at short notice. Drivers should check live information from the relevant transport authority before travelling.
