Dartford – Thurrock maintenance

The Dartford Crossing, also known as the A282, connects directly at both ends with the M25 London Orbital Motorway, one of the busiest motorways in Europe. Carrying over 50 million vehicles a year, the Dartford Crossing is designed to handle 135,000 vehicles a day, but the average is now 150,000 a day – with the busiest days seeing up to 180,000 vehicles using it. We’re carrying out an extensive programme of repairs and maintenance work over the next several years to keep journeys safe and reliable for road users. To keep disruption to a minimum, we carry out our work overnight, typically between the hours of 10pm and 6am.

Start date TBC
End date TBC
Cost TBC
The Dartford Crossing carries more than 180,000 vehicles every day.

The Dartford Crossing carries more than 180,000 vehicles every day.

Our maintenance work on the QEII bridge

Our maintenance work on the QEII bridge

We use special jet-washers to clear the gullies on the QEII bridge so rainwater can drain away quickly

We use special jet-washers to clear the gullies on the QEII bridge so rainwater can drain away quickly

Cleaning up litter on the QEII bridge

Cleaning up litter on the QEII bridge

Latest updates

  • 15 November 2024

    Upcoming closure information updated

    Our work to Saturday 7 December

    Steelwork inspections will continue in the west tunnel over the next two weeks. The west tunnel will be closed overnight between 10pm and 6am between Mondays and Fridays to undertake this work safely.

    From Friday 29 November, the west tunnel will be closed from 9pm Monday to Friday, to allow for necessary repairs.

    Abnormal load movement

    An abnormal load is expected to arrive at the Dartford Crossing and travel over the QEII Bridge around 7pm on Saturday 16 November. It will continue clockwise around the M25 towards its destination in Surrey.

    Due to the size and weight of the load, it will be travelling at slow speeds under police escort. If you're planning to travel on the A282/M25 clockwise around this time, we recommend allowing extra time for your journey. The movement of abnormal loads requires careful coordination and a specialist haulier, so please be aware that the timing could vary, with the load potentially arriving earlier or later than expected 

    Upcoming closures 

    Friday 15 November to Saturday 7 December

    • Friday 15 November: Dartford west tunnel, 11pm to 6am
    • Saturday 16 November: Dartford west tunnel, 10pm to 5am
    • Sunday 17 November: Dartford east tunnel closure, 10pm to 5am (no access for vehicles over 4.8m)
    • Monday 18 to Wednesday 20 November: Dartford west tunnel, 10pm to 5.30am
    • Thursday 21 November: Dartford west tunnel, 9pm to 5:30am
    • Friday 22 November: Dartford west tunnel, 9pm to 6am
    • Saturday 23 November: Dartford west tunnel, 10pm to 5am
    • Sunday 24 November: Dartford east tunnel closure, 10pm to 5am (no access for vehicles over 4.8m)
    • Monday 25 to Thursday 28 November: Dartford west tunnel, 9pm to 5:30am
    • Friday 29 November: Dartford west tunnel, 9pm to 6am
    • Saturday 30 November: Dartford west tunnel, 10pm to 5am
    • Sunday 1 December: No planned closures
    • Monday 2 to Thursday 5 December: Dartford west tunnel, 10pm to 5:30am
    • Friday 6 December: Dartford west tunnel, 9pm to 6am
    • Saturday 7 December: QEII Bridge closure, 10pm to 5am

    Please remember that closures can change at short notice. You can check the latest information on our daily closures page or find live travel information on our Traffic England site. Our travel alerts give details of live incidents on our network.

  • 18 October 2024

    QEII Bridge closure

    We’ll be closing the QEII bridge between 10pm Saturday 19 October and 5am Sunday 20 October for routine safety inspections.
     
    A contraflow diversion route will be installed through the east tunnel from approximately 9:30pm on Saturday night to maintain travel in the southbound direction.
     
    The west tunnel will remain open overnight to maintain travel in the northbound direction. 

    Please note a height restriction will apply in the northbound direction to vehicles between 4.8m (15’-9”) and 5.0m (16’-6”) high. Important information for drivers of goods vehicles and high-sided vehicles is available here.

    Our work to Sunday 27 October

    Steelwork inspections will continue in the west tunnel over the next two weeks. The west tunnel will be closed overnight between 10pm and 6am between Mondays and Fridays to undertake this work safely.

    Upcoming closures

    Friday 18 October to Sunday 27 October

    • Friday 18 October: Dartford west tunnel, 11pm to 6am
    • Saturday 19 October: QEII Bridge closure, 10pm to 5am
    • Sunday 20 October: Dartford east tunnel closure, 10pm to 5am (no access for vehicles over 4.8m)
    • Monday 21 to Thursday 24 October: Dartford west tunnel, 10pm to 5:30am
    • Friday 25 October: Dartford west tunnel, 11pm to 6am
    • Saturday 26 October: Dartford west tunnel, 10pm to 5am
    • Sunday 27 October: Dartford east tunnel closure, 10pm to 5am (no access for vehicles over 4.8m)

    Please remember that closures can change at short notice. You can check the latest information on our daily closures page or find live travel information on our Traffic England site. Our travel alerts give details of live incidents on our network.

     

  • 11 October 2024

    Upcoming Closures - Bridge maintenance between A282 J1a and M25 J2 (southbound)

    We’ll shortly be carrying out the second stage of essential concrete and steelwork repairs to a bridge on the A282/M25 southbound (clockwise) carriageway between junction 1a and junction 2.

    We’ll close the southbound carriageway from A282 junction 1a to M25 junction 2: 

    • From 9.30pm on Saturday 12 October to 7.30am on Sunday 13 October 

    Closures:

    Friday 11 October to Sunday 27 October

    • Friday 11 October: Dartford west tunnel, 11pm to 6am
    • Saturday 12 October: Dartford west tunnel, 10pm to 5am
      A282 J1a to M25 J2 (southbound), 9:30pm to 7:30am
    • Sunday 13 October: Dartford east tunnel closure, 10pm to 5am (no access for vehicles over 4.8m)
    • Monday 14 to Thursday 17 October: Dartford west tunnel, 10pm to 5:30am
    • Friday 18 October: Dartford west tunnel, 11pm to 6am
    • Saturday 19 October: QEII Bridge closure, 10pm to 5am
    • Sunday 20 October: Dartford east tunnel closure, 10pm to 5am (no access for vehicles over 4.8m)
    • Monday 21 to Thursday 24 October: Dartford west tunnel, 10pm to 5:30am
    • Friday 25 October: Dartford west tunnel, 11pm to 6am
    • Saturday 26 October: Dartford west tunnel, 10pm to 5am
    • Sunday 27 October: Dartford east tunnel closure, 10pm to 5am (no access for vehicles over 4.8m)

    Diversion:

    A clearly signed diversion will be in place via A282 junction 1a, the A206 Crossways Boulevard eastbound, the B255 southbound and the A2 westbound, re-joining the M25 at junction 2.

    Diversion route map

    We’ll need to carry out further work on this bridge soon to ensure it remains safe and reliable for the years to come. Please check back for updates.

    Please note: the Dartford west tunnel will also be closed overnight Saturday 12 October between 10pm and 5am. This means direct access to the Dartford tunnels from A282 junction 1a will be unavailable between these times. Local traffic joining from A282 junction 1a will need to follow the above diversion route between 10pm and 5am to access the Dartford Crossing.

    Please remember that closures can change at short notice. You can check the latest information on our daily closures page or find live travel information on our Traffic England. Our travel alerts give details of live incidents on our network.

  • 13 September 2024

    Upcoming overnight closures - 16 September to 29 September 2024

    We'll be continuing our steelwork inspections and bearing replacement works in the west tunnel over the next two weeks.

    This work will take place overnight between 10pm and 6am between Mondays and Fridays. 

    We’ll use another 14-hour closure, between Saturday 21 September to Sunday 22 September 8pm -10am, to continue essential steelwork repairs at the exit of the west tunnel. 

    We’ll close the east tunnel on Sunday nights, as usual, to carry out routine tunnel safety checks.

    Please be reminded that vehicles less than 4.8m (15‘-9”) high will be diverted via the west tunnel. Vehicles between 4.8m (15‘-9”) and 5.0m (16’-6”) high will be diverted via M25 clockwise.

    Closures

    • Monday 16 September to Thursday 19 September: Dartford west tunnel, 10pm to 5:30am.
    • Friday 20 September: Dartford west tunnel, 11pm to 6am.
    • Saturday 21 September: Dartford west tunnel, 8pm to 10am.
    • Sunday 22 September: Dartford east tunnel closure, 10pm to 5am. (no access for vehicles over 4.8m)
    • Monday 23 September to Thursday 26 September: Dartford west tunnel, 10pm to 5:30am.
    • Friday 27 September: Dartford west tunnel, 11pm to 6am.
    • Saturday 28 September: Dartford west tunnel, 10pm to 5am.
    • Sunday 29 September: Dartford east tunnel closure, 10pm to 5am. (no access for vehicles over 4.8m)

    Please remember that closures can change at short notice. You can check the latest information on our daily closures page or find live travel information on our Traffic England site. Our travel alerts give details of live incidents on our network.

  • 02 August 2024

    QEII Bridge painting work

    We’ll be repainting the steelwork of the QEII Bridge over the next five years. This will protect it from corrosion and extend its lifespan.

    We’ll also be maintaining the bridge’s pylons, cable stays and associated parts and renewing over 200 bearings.

    We’ll install a temporary walkway with a steel safety barrier. This will give our teams safe 24-hour access to the areas where they're working.

    We'll need to reduce width of the outer lanes. Inner lanes and the 50mph speed limit across the bridge will remain unchanged.

    Using a temporary walkway means we'll need fewer overnight lane closures across the bridge. It will protect our workers, allowing them to work safely and efficiently day and night without affecting traffic

    We'll monitor the adjustments to lane widths for three months. If they're working well, we'll keep them in place while we complete our maintenance over the next several years.

    We’ll still need full overnight closures of the bridge approximately once every six weeks for routine bridge safety inspections and maintenance.

    Please remember that closure details can change at short notice. For the most up-to-date information, please visit our daily closures page.

  • 23 July 2024

    Bridge re-waterproofing work


    We’re re-waterproofing and resurfacing the bridge which carries the M25 anticlockwise carriageway between junction 31 (Lakeside) and junction 30 (A13) throughout July and August 2024.

    We've made good progress re-waterproofing the hard shoulder across the bridge.

    To continue our work, we'll need overnight weekend closures (8pm to 10am) in early August.

    Please remember that closure details can change at short notice. For the most up-to-date information, please check our daily closures page.

    Important information for drivers of high-sided vehicles.

See more updates

Project information

Overview

The Dartford Crossing is currently the only way to cross the Thames east of London by road and links the counties of Essex and Kent via the QEII bridge for southbound traffic and two 1.4km-long tunnels for northbound journeys. 

The A282 also connects directly at both ends with the M25 London Orbital Motorway, one of the busiest motorways in Europe.

To keep this part of the network safe and secure, our work will include:

  • Upgrading CCTV and lighting
  • Waterproofing
  • Maintaining ventilation, electrical and drainage systems
  • Replacing tunnel bearings and repairing the concrete tunnel walkways 
  • Replacing expansion joints on the viaduct
  • Replacing the panels which form the tunnel linings
  • Carrying out maintenance to the QEII bridge pylons, cable stays and dampers

Additional work will also include:

  • Replacing areas of corroded steelwork
  • Tile repairs
  • Paintwork

We’ll do most of our work overnight to keep disruption to a minimum and planned our work so that multiple schemes can run at the same time. 

Dartford Crossing diversions

  • East tunnel – vehicles less than 4.8m (15‘-9”) high will be diverted via the west tunnel. Vehicles between 4.8m (15‘-9”) and 5.0m (16’-6”) high will be diverted via M25 clockwise.
  • West tunnel – drivers will be diverted via the east tunnel. 
  • QEII bridge diversion – southbound traffic will be diverted via the east tunnel. Vehicles less than 4.8m (15‘-9”) high travelling northbound will be able to use the west tunnel as usual and for vehicles between 4.8m (15‘-9”) and 5.0m (16’-6”) high, an alternative diversion will be in place via the M25 clockwise. 

Documents

Traffic information

Information about scheduled roadworks and events on our motorways and major roads.

Contact us

info@nationalhighways.co.uk

0300 123 5000

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