How long will the Thames barrier last?

It expects the barrier to continue to protect London until 2070 – but that to protect the capital up to 2100, as planned, the structure may need to be replaced. That decision – whether to build a new barrier or upgrade the existing one – will wait until 2040, with all options remaining open until then, it says.



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Without the barrier the Houses of Parliament, the O2 arena, Tower Bridge and areas of Southwark, Beckton, West Ham, Whitechapel would all be submerged in flood water. It took eight years to build the structure, costing £535m (£1.6 billion in todays money) and became fully operational in 1982.

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The barrier prevents this from happening. The gates are left shut and the river water is held until the tide turns. Staff wait for the water on both sides to equalise - reach the same level - and then the gate is opened and the river water can rush out into the estuary.

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The Greenwich Foot Tunnel is an underground walkway that allows you to walk from Greenwich to the Isle of Dogs in London. The reason why this tunnel is so special is that it allows you to walk under the River Thames which is the main river that snakes through the city.

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The first underwater tunnel opened 175 years ago, on March 25th, 1843, under the Thames in London, then the world's largest city. An engineering marvel, the Thames Tunnel saw some 24 million pedestrians pass through before it was converted to rail use for the Underground in 1865.

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