Looking eastwards just east of the merge of Aspen Way with Limehouse Link. The footbridge for Poplar DLR station is visible in the distance. The A1261 is D3 here with 40mph limit, but also one set of traffic lights, with attendant warning signs.

A similar view is shown in the A1203 Limehouse Link section, but this is where the A1261 Totso's to merge with the A1206 and then the A13, leaving traffic to head west through the tunnel. The blue bridge is for the DLR heading between Canary Wharf and Poplar.

Similar view to asp01.jpg, but from within the glass footbridge, evidently not as crystal clear as when it was first built in 1993!

An eastward view looking from Poplar DLR station footbridge, showing the traffic lights with the new Canary Wharf Northern Access (open late 2004). Thishas nowbeen renamed Upper Bank Street. This is the only at-grade junction between Limehouse and Barking westbound, and heading eastbound, this is the only stop between Limehouse and Sadlers Hall Farm junction with the A130 in deepest Essex!.

Looking eastward from the footbridge towards the Canary Wharf Northern Access junction. The yellow building is Billingsgate Market, accessible from the next junction, with the A1206.

Zoom-in showing the traffic lights-controlled flat junction. Eastbound traffic has no option to turn right. Note the narrow gap in the central reservation.

Looking westbound towards footbridge for Poplar DLR station (on the right, out of shot), with final gantry for the Limehouse Link tunnel.

Prohibitions sign for the A1203 Limehouse Link heading westbound. The A1261 Totsos just up ahead.

Junction of Aspen Way with the Canary Wharf Northern Access looking east. Note that eastbound traffic is not meant to turn right into the access, so the only point of the flat junction is for traffic turning right out of the access to head east!

Looking south from the DLR near Poplar, showing the newly opened Canary Wharf Northern Access (with its at-grade junction with the A1261).

Canary Wharf Tower lies just south of Aspen Way. This shot was taken from the Docklands Light Rail near Poplar, just to the north of the road. HSBC Tower to the left, with Citigroup out of shot to the south of that.

Canary Wharf Tower viewed from the corner of Aspen Way and Upper Bank Street (the Canary Wharf Northern Access).

View from Upper Bank Street looking north.

There is a free-flow movement for westbound traffic turning off at Upper Bank Street.

Gantry for Prestons Road and Cotton Street (access to A13 and the A102 junction) eastbound

Approach signage westbound for the Canary Wharf Northern Access junction.

Prohibitions sign for the East India Dock Link (next but one junction) heading eastbound

Gantry on approach to the A1206 junction eastbound.

Gantry on approach to the A1206 junction eastbound.

Prohibitions sign for the A1203 Limehouse Link heading westbound, just past the merge from Prestons Road

Diverge eastbound at the Prestons Road junction.

Looking west towards Billingsgate Market and Canary Wharf.

Western end of Prestons Road flyover, with lack of direct street lighting on its central section. Massive floodlights positioned around the A1206 roundabout do the job.

Merge of westbound on-slip and the flyover mainline.

Eastbound off-slip at Prestons Road roundabout, along with sign

Eastbound off-slip at Prestons Road, looking west towards Canary Wharf development.

Eastbound off-slip, with free-flow link to A1206 Cotton Street northbound. DLR flyover to the left.

Prestons Road flyover looking northeastish.

Prestons Road flyover looking northeastish.

Prestons Road flyover looking northwestish. Trafalgar Way, an unclassified D2 link to Canary Wharf from the east is visible on the left

Sign for Prestons Road on Prestons Road northbound

Looking north from A1206 Prestons Road

View looking north of Prestons Road flyover, note the rather ornate concrete finish.

Beneath Prestons Roaod flyover looking west. DLR on the right.

Beneath Prestons Roaod flyover looking east. DLR on the extreme left

Exit for Cotton Street (northward link to A13 and thereby the A102 Blackwall Tunnel junction). Free-flow link from eastbound off-slip visible.

Prestons Road flyover viewed from a London-Southend coach (normally routed via the A13 Commercial Road)

View of central section of Prestons Road Flyover from DLR train at Blackwall station.

Sign for Prestons Road on Prestons Road southbound

Looking south from A1206 Cotton Street, with DLR and A1261 flyovers side-by-side.

Blackwall DLR station lies just to the east of the roundabout.

Exit for eastbound on-slip for Aspen Way.

The eastern end of the Prestons Road Flyover.

View of Prestons Road Flyover eastern end and eastbound on-slip from DLR train near Blackwall station.

Westbound off-slip at the Prestons Road junction

Eastbound on-slip at Prestons Road junction.

Merge sign heading eastbound after the Prestons Road junction. Brief stretch of D4.

Looking west towards Prestons Road flyover, with the gantry for the junction with the A1206 in front. Note drop from D4 to D2.

Looking west towards Prestons Road flyover, with the gantry for the junction with the A1206 in front. Note drop from D4 to D2.

The brief D4 stretch of Aspen Way in between the East India Dock Link and the A1206. The DLR between Blackwall and East India stations lies to the north of the road.

View from westbound platform at East India DLR station, looking west towards the Canary Wharf development, and highlighting the drop from D4 to D2 on Aspen Way in the foreground. The very apex of Canary Wharf Tower can be seen behind the HSBC building.

Whilst the gantry at the actual split (qv.) is in operation, this gantry, on the eastbound approach to the East India Dock Link has been out of action since December 2003, except for a very short time back then in which I'm sure it was fully functional!

In December 2005, the gantry seems to be finally operational!

in December 2005, the gantry is finally operational!

Prohibitions sign on eastbound approach to the East India Dock Link.

Ground level view of the gantry for the split between the East India Dock Link and the Leamouth Roundabout, built at the same time as Aspen Way. The A1020 continues east towards City Airport and North Woolwich. Canning Town should also be signposted at this turn-off, because there is no way of getting to that roundabout once you commit to the tunnel!

Traffic lights switched on summer 2006

Looking west from the East India DLR station footbridge

Looking east towards the East India Dock Link western portal. Note Canning Town is not signposted (no access from the A1261/A13 main line past this junction).

Traffic lights switched on summer 2006

Closer-up view of the East India Dock Link western portal. Note 30 speed limit! The tunnel link to the A13 was open in both directions only in December 2003. In 1995, the westbound bore was opened as a link from the A13 to the westbound carriageway of Aspen Way, with the eastbound out of use (along with the gantry!). Then for much of 2003 it was shut while the junction at the eastern end was remodelled to provide direct free-flow access between the two dual carriageways. However because of the upgrade of Canning Town flyover to six lanes, and the consequent lane-closures, the eastbound was single-file until October 2004.

In December 2005, they seemed to be installing traffic lights along the slip road and the main-line, I presume in conjunction with routine maintenance.

Traffic lights switched on summer 2006. A barrier (in raised position) was also installed

Traffic lights switched on summer 2006

Traffic lights switched on summer 2006

As soon as you exit the tunnel westbound, you're faced with this gantry sign on approach to the next junction, the A1206 Prestons Road roundabout. This relatively short stretch of D4 does entail a degree of weaving, as the Prestons Road flyover is only D2. East India DLR station is just behind the gantry to the south of the A1261.

Ground-level view of the western portal.

Eastbound off-slip, with western portal of the tunnel in the background.

Sign for prohibited traffic on approach to Leamouth Roundabout eastbound

East India Dock Link interior viewed from a London-Southend coach

I presume this is a ventilation shaft for the East India Dock Link, positioned along the westbound on-slip for Aspen Way

Sign at Leamouth Roundabout heading east

Leamouth Roundabout was the original eastern terminus of the A1261. To the east, the A1020 Lower Lea Crossing (D2) soars over the River Lea to a junction with the A1011 south of Canning Town, while visible left centre in this shot is the short link northward to the A13, Leamouth Road, also D2.

Westbound on-slip onto Aspen Way, the merge with the A1261 mainline is visible up ahead, with the Canary Wharf towers in the background.

Exit for Aspen Way on the Leamouth Roundabout

Leamouth Roundabout looking west, viewed from DLR train between Canning Town and East India. Lower Lea Crossing leads off to the left of the junction, Leamouth Road to the right, and Aspen Way straight ahaed, towards Canary Wharf in the distance.

Leamouth Road northbound carriageway separated from the southbound by a high wall.

Approach signage for the junction of Leamouth Road with the A13. Note sudden appearance of Canning Town. (Some M11 warning signage also appeared here today, though it's quite a distance from Docklands!)

The junction of Leamouth Road and the A13, just to the west of the Totso. The eastern tunnel portal is visible in the background.

Another view of the Leamouth junction (from the north), showing the A13 continuing westbound (right) towards the Blackwall Tunnel and Limehouse (and umpteen traffic lights!).

The eastern portal of the East India Dock Link, viewed from eastbound A13 carriageway (in foreground)..

A close-up of the eastern portal of the East India Dock Link tunnel.

The eastern portal of the East India Dock Link tunnel, showing the A13 Totso. In the foreground is the slip-road to Canning Town (not accessible from the Tunnel).

Westbound bore of the East India Dock Link. Like its westerly neighbour, the Limehouse Link, there is a 30mph limit, but this tunnel is only a few hundred yards long.

We have now come out of the tunnel and become Aspen Way, the main route through Docklands. There is a merge to D4 from the A1020 Leamouth Roundabout, but this soon drops to D2 at the next junction with the 1206 Prestons Road, running in a semi-circle through the Isle of Dogs. Aspen Way has a 40mph limit, like the remodelled A13 west of Barking.

Westbound on the Prestons Road flyover, above the A1206 junction.

Back to D3. Just west of Prestons Road is the only at-grade junction between Limehouse and Barking, with Upper Bank Street, originally the Canary Wharf Northern Access. This junction exists solely to provide Canary Wharf traffic access to Aspen Way eastbound. There is no access from Aspen Way eastbound to Upper Bank Street!

Aspen Way totso's here, with the mainline becoming the Limehouse Link (A1203). We have just passed a yellow-bordered 40mph sign, but watch out for the 30mph signs for the tunnel up ahead! One final lane-drop, then D2 for the 1.2 miles through the tunnel.