PPP plan for new river crossings

Ken Livingstone is considering plans to build three new crossings over the Thames - financed by the same publicprivate partnership he has condemned on the Tube.

The Mayor has been secretly looking at a £1 billion project to build two road bridges and a rail tunnel around Greenwich as part of his aim to regenerate London's East End.

He has appointed investment bank Bear Stearns to drum up financial support for the project, the construction costs of which would be born mainly by private sector firms, according to reports. The companies would be repaid by being allowed to levy tolls on the bridges over a 25-year period.

The Mayor's willingness to embrace a PPP method is in contrast to his stance on the Government's plans for a similar arrangement on the Tube. It is understood he intended to keep the proposals under wraps until after next month's decision by London Underground on whether the Tube PPP will go ahead.

Last night the Mayor's office confirmed it was looking at the scheme, but insisted comparisons with Tube PPP were limited. A spokesman said: "This is purely about how to find sources of funding for river crossings for a part of London that the Mayor wants to regenerate. His objections to the Tube PPP are all about the break up of control over the way the Tube is run and its implications for safety - these concerns would not apply in the same way for building bridges."

The three crossings, according to reports, would serve as part of the Mayor's plan to regenerate the Docklands area. One would be a bridge connecting the Dome peninsula with the Silvertown Docks area. Woolwich Crossing further east would have a tunnel for either an extension of the Docklands Light Railway or a rail link. Further east again would be the Thames Gateway Bridge, connecting main roads between Thamesmead and Beckton.