River Thames Thames Estuary), the river is subject to tidal activity from the North Sea. Before the lock was installed, the river was tidal as far as Staines, about upstream. London, capital of Roman Britain, was established on two hills, now known as Cornhill and Ludgate Hill. These provided a firm base for a trading centre at the lowest possible point on the Thames. A river crossing was built at the site of London Bridge. London Bridge is now used as the basis for published tide tables giving the times of high tide. High tide reaches Putney about 30 minutes later than
Thames Gateway Bridge foot tunnel, the Woolwich foot tunnel and Woolwich Ferry, or the Docklands Light Railway, from King George V station under the river to Woolwich Arsenal station, which opened in early 2009. For vehicles, the nearest other Thames crossings are the Blackwall Tunnel (A102), the Dartford Crossing (M25) and the Woolwich Ferry. The design and the location were similar to the East London River Crossing, which was proposed and approved by two public inquiries from the 1970s to the 1990s but subsequently dropped by the Department for Transport. In July 2004, a new bridge on the site was proposed, with planning