Pay Dart Charge
You must pay Dart Charge by midnight the day using the Dartford Crossing Bridge or the Dartford Tunnel.
You must pay the Dart Charge if you use the Dartford Crossing or Dartford Tunnel between 6am and 10pm. Charges apply every day – including weekends and bank holidays. How much you pay to cross depends on the type of vehicle you’re driving.
Pay Dart Charge online if you have crossed the Dartford Bridge crossing or used the Dartford Tunnel Pay Dart Charge by midnight the day after
Pay Dart Charge by Credit or Debit Card.
Times and when to pay Dart Charge.
The bridge and tunnel is open to traffic twenty fours a day, however subject to ongoing maintenance and safety work there may be lane closures.
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How the pay Dart Charge system works
Pay Dart Charge system. Means you have to pay in advance, pre-pay, pay as you go or pay one off charge.
Number plate cameras, positioned in the new overhead gantries. Will identify the vehicle to see how much needs to be paid.
If you do not pay by midnight the day after crossing, the driver or company will receive a penalty charge notice for £70 (reduced to £35 if paid within 14 days of issue) If a penalty charge notice remains unpaid after 28 days, a charge certificate will be issued for £105.
We are serious about tackling evasion and we are working with the European Debt Recovery Agency to recover any unpaid non-UK driver crossing charges and associated penalties.
How to pay Dart Charge, You can pay by using a Credit or Debit Card online, by post or make your payment at your nearest convenient Payzone store
Pay Dart Charge charging times
Charges times apply everyday between the hours of 6am and 10pm including weekends and bank holidays.
It is free to use at all other times.
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Information and history
It joins Dartford and Thurrock across the River Thames. Forming part of London’s orbital M25 motorway and the furthest-downstream road crossing of the Thames.
Engineers started work on the west tunnel in 1936 but construction stopped with the outbreak of World War 2.
Digging restarted in 1959 with the project team using a tunnelling shield to excavate the tunnel. A tunnelling shield is a large circular steel frame with pockets. Each pocket had a man with a spade who dug out the earth in front of him.
Work was delayed on the east tunnel through lack of money until 1974 when the European Economic Community (now the EU) provided cash for the project.
The 2.87km long Queen Elizabeth 2 bridge has 2 steel and concrete masts 84m tall. The bridge’s deck (roadway) hangs from 56 pairs of cables strung from the masts.
The project team used 2 reinforced concrete caissons to support the river piers. The caissons – prefabricated concrete structures – were built in the Netherlands and towed across the North Sea to the construction site.
Engineers sank the 85,000 tonne caissons into place and filled them with concrete as part of the bridge’s permanent structure.
Latest developments
There are two tunnels, the eastern and western.
It opened in stages: the west tunnel in 1963, the east tunnel in 1980 and the bridge in 1991. The 2 tunnels are 1,430m long.
The only fixed road crossing of the Thames east of Greater London, it is the busiest estuarial crossing in the United Kingdom, with an average daily use of over 130,000 vehicles.
The crossing carries far more vehicles daily than the 135,000 it was designed for. This means it’s often heavily congested, particularly when tunnel or bridge lanes are closed because of bad weather or accidents.
The Dartford crossing has made it much easier for vehicles in the area to get across the Thames. The nearest alternatives to Dartford are the Blackwell tunnel (about 8 miles west) or the Woolwich ferry (about 10 miles west).
High vehicles have even less choice than cars and small lorries. When the bridge is closed vehicles over 5m high are diverted round the M25 in the opposite direction.
The Dartford crossing has made the movement of goods and people easier in the area and contributed to the local economy.
With daily traffic flows of 150,000 vehicles the crossing suffers regular traffic congestion.
4.8m for the west tunnel, accessed by lanes 1 and 2 (left hand lanes), and 5.0m for the east tunnel, accessed by
lanes 3 and 4 (right hand lanes).
A new concrete barrier will be constructed between lanes, which means that vehicles will not be able to cross from lanes 1 and 2 to lanes 3 and 4 after Junction 1a of the M25.
Speed limits on the Dartford Bridge crossing and Dartford Tunnel
Average speed camera enforcement are used in the Dartford Tunnel and on the Dartford Bridge.
CCTV operates on the Dartford Bridge and in the Dartford Tunnels and sends live images to the control room enabling effective incident monitoring and response.
Drivers should drive at speeds appropriate to the road conditions and must not exceed the variable speed limits displayed. Observe the limits and information shown on the overhead gantries.
Dartford Bridge and Dartford Tunnel safety information
The above information is for drivers on how to safely drive through the Dartford tunnels.
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Dart Charge motorway map. Shows the location of Dartford Bridge Crossing and Dartford Tunnel.
Use this Journey planner below to get directions for the Dartford Bridge crossing or Dartford Tunnel. Plan your journey and allow plenty of time in case of delays on the Dartford Bridge crossings and Dartford Tunnel. Avoid peak travelling times.
Dart Charge latest live traffic reports. See map above for all the latest reports and information, or tune into to one these local radio stations
Essex Radio on 103.5 or Kent Radio on 96.1