19th-century London of the Thames from the City of London westwards experienced a flurry of bridge-building during the 19th century, improving overland communication to South London. At the turn of the 19th century there were only three existing bridges in Central London: Westminster Bridge, Blackfriars Bridge, and the ancient London Bridge. Beyond Westminster, the closest bridge was that of Battersea, three miles upstream from Westminster Bridge. All four were demolished and rebuilt over the course of the century (completed in 1862, 1869, 1831,and 1885 respectively). In addition, a slew of new bridges for road, pedestrian, and railway traffic were built: Southwark Bridge
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