Blakedale has been selected to supply, build and maintain the traffic management fleet associated with the new Thames road tunnel between Greenwich and west Silvertown.
The fleet includes two 3.5t LTMA urban crash cushion vehicles, built on Ford Transit and Volkswagen Crafter chassis and used to escort recovery vehicles and conduct rolling road closures when needed for debris removal or incident response.
Also included are three smaller traffic safety vans – two Peugeot Partners and an electric Renault Kangoo – and a 3.5t dropside Ford Transit with tail lift.
The vehicles are fully Chapter 8 compliant with flashing LED lighting and reflective vehicle graphics, and are supplied to tunnel consortium Riverlinx on a yearly rental with a full maintenance contract.
Riverlinx CEO John Hagan said: “Blakedale’s experience has been invaluable in shaping a fleet that meets the daily operational needs of everyone that uses the new tunnel.
“It will be particularly interesting to see how our electric van performs as it fits in with our aim of continuing to reduce emissions across all areas of our operation.”
Blakedale managing director Jon Taylor said: “The Silvertown Tunnel is a major step forward for east London’s transport infrastructure, and we are proud to be working with Riverlinx to help keep it safe and operational.
“From the design and build phase to getting the LCVs fully liveried and mission-ready, this project demonstrates our ability to deliver bespoke commercial vehicle solutions for fleet operators. We continue to support public sector infrastructure projects like this one with new and exciting bespoke vehicles,”
