Mayor sets out plan for 22-mile ring-road tunnel under London

Plans to transform central London with a 22-mile-long underground ring road can be revealed today.

Costing £30 billion to construct, it would remove tens of thousands of cars from the crowded streets above.

The Inner Orbital Tunnel would be one of the most ambitious infrastructure schemes ever seen in the city, with subterranean dual carriageways linking key routes, from the A40 Westway to the A12 in the east, and the A1 route north to the A2 running south.

It would mean quieter neighbourhoods and cleaner air for millions of families living in the centre and along overcrowded arteries like the South Circular. Motorists would enjoy faster trips, with bottlenecks like the Earl’s Court one-way system given relief.

Tower Bridge would be closed to all traffic except buses and bicycles, with the new tunnel creating two new crossings beneath the Thames.

Boris Johnson, who commissioned work to develop the idea, believes it could dramatically improve quality of life for residents. He said: “I would love the views of Evening Standard readers on this. There are big arguments in favour. There are obviously arguments against.” Transport for London is working on the concept, which could avert traffic gridlock. It forecasts a 60 per cent surge in congestion in the central zone by 2031 if nothing is done, while outer areas would suffer increases in congestion of 15 to 25 per cent.

The proposed route runs from Camden to Highbury, curving south under Whitechapel to cross the Thames at Wapping. It then sweeps south of Elephant and Castle, goes under the Oval and Battersea Park, and crosses the Thames again at Chelsea. From there it heads through Earls Court to link with the A40 near White City, then east to St John’s Wood and under Regent’s Park. A spur under Dalston and Hackney would connect the circuit to the A12.

Some of the cost would be met by freeing up development sites worth billions of pounds that are currently hemmed in by traffic, such as the area around the Vauxhall interchange. Isabel Dedring, Deputy Mayor for Transport, said: “We are at the very early stage in exploring the potential. Cities such as Paris, Oslo and Boston have undertaken these kinds of ambitious projects and have seen dramatic results.

“This is not about creating a motorway through the centre of London. It’s about freeing up capacity on the city surface, improving air quality, and reclaiming space for public parks, pedestrians and cyclists.”