Dartford Roadworks: Nightly Tunnel Closures to 16 August

Living with the Dartford Crossing means living with its maintenance. Right now National Highways is running a summer programme of overnight tunnel closures and bridge repairs that lasts into September, on a crossing already carrying far more traffic than it was built for. Here is what is closed and when, how the Dart Charge works, where the borough’s other pinch points are, and what is actually happening with the Lower Thames Crossing that is supposed to relieve it all.

Dates below were checked against National Highways on 7 August 2026. Overnight closures change at short notice, so confirm against the National Highways closure pages before a late-night journey.

Tunnel closures nightly until Sunday 16 August

National Highways is upgrading tunnel technology, which means one of the two Dartford tunnels is shut almost every night through to mid August. When the east tunnel is the one closed, vehicles over 4.8 metres are diverted because the west tunnel cannot take them. The published schedule for the remaining nights (National Highways):

On top of that, the A282 northbound is fully closed between M25 Junction 2 at Darenth and Junction 1a on the weeknights of Monday 10 to Friday 14 August, 10pm to 5.30am Monday to Thursday and 11pm to 6am on the Friday. The signed diversion runs via the M25 anticlockwise to Junction 2, the A2 eastbound, the B255 northbound and the A206 Crossways Boulevard back to Junction 1a.

Separately, the QEII Bridge is having its steel cable stays refurbished between April and September 2026, with overnight lane closures from 9pm to 6am. At least one lane stays open through the night, so southbound traffic keeps moving, just more slowly.

What it means for you: overnight crossings between now and mid August need a few extra minutes, high vehicles should plan for the B255/A206 diversion on east-tunnel nights, and anyone doing an early airport run over the bridge should expect lane restrictions until the autumn.

The Dart Charge: what crossing costs

The charge applies 6am to 10pm every day of the year, and crossings between 10pm and 6am are free (GOV.UK). A car pays £3.50 per crossing, or £2.80 with a free pre-pay account; motorcycles are free, two-axle goods vehicles pay £4.20 (£3.60 with an account) and multi-axle HGVs £8.40 (£7.20) (Dart Charge rates). You must pay by midnight the day after you cross or a penalty charge follows.

The deal most locals still miss: the resident discount. People living in the Dartford and Thurrock council areas can pay £25 a year for unlimited crossings, or £12.50 a year for 50 crossings with extra blocks of 25 at £6.25 (Dart Charge rates). If you cross more than seven times a year, the £25 option already beats paying per trip.

Why the crossing struggles: the numbers

The crossing was designed for 135,000 vehicles a day. It now averages about 150,000, rising to 180,000 on the busiest days, over 50 million a year, and almost 40% of that is freight. At peak times a tunnel is briefly closed on average every 15 minutes to escort dangerous loads through, which National Highways says adds up to the equivalent of 27 days of closures a year (National Highways). That is why one broken-down lorry at Junction 1a can back traffic up through the town within minutes, and why overnight works that overrun have produced six-mile tailbacks on the A282 (KentOnline).

Junctions 1a and 1b: yellow-box cameras coming

Kent County Council calls congestion on the A282 at Junctions 1a and 1b “a daily occurrence” and, after a consultation that ran from December 2025 to February 2026, confirmed in March 2026 that it will install ANPR enforcement cameras on six yellow-box junctions, four at Junction 1a and two at Junction 1b, with installation during 2026 (Kent County Council). Once live, blocking those boxes will mean a penalty notice, so leave the exit clear even in crawling traffic.

The Lower Thames Crossing: where it actually stands

The long-promised relief road east of Gravesend was granted development consent on 25 March 2025, and the Government announced funding for it on 16 June 2025 (National Highways). Early work began in March 2026: archaeology near Coalhouse Fort, ground investigations, habitat creation and site compounds near East Tilbury and at Thong near Gravesend. Main construction and tunnelling are due to start in 2028, with the road opening in the early to mid 2030s (National Highways). Until then, the Dartford Crossing carries on as the only Thames road crossing east of London, so the maintenance cycle above is a fact of life here for years yet.

Getting around it: buses, trains and station parking

Fastrack is the borough’s segregated rapid bus network, operated by Go-Ahead. Route A links Dartford town centre with Temple Hill, The Bridge, Crossways, Greenhithe station and Bluewater roughly every 12 minutes during the day; Route B runs from Dartford via Darent Valley Hospital, Bluewater, Castle Hill and Ebbsfleet International through to Gravesend, from about 5.15am to 11pm (Route A timetable, Route B timetable). When the A282 is stationary, Fastrack’s bus-only sections are usually the quickest way to Bluewater or the hospital.

For the train instead, Dartford has direct services to five London terminals; times, fares and the last trains home are in our Dartford to London trains guide. If you drive to the station, the Hythe Street car park (194 spaces) is run by APCOA: daily rates run £9.00 to £9.50 on weekdays (£7.20 Saturday, £4.80 Sunday), with a weekly ticket at £38.50 and an annual season at £1,520 (APCOA). Town-centre alternatives and on-street rules are in our parking in Dartford guide.

Where to check live conditions

• National Highways A282 Dartford Crossing works for the current closure schedule
• National Highways road closure report for the full daily list
• one.network for street-level roadworks across DA1 and DA2
• Dart Charge to pay or set up an account

Sources

• National Highways: A282 Dartford Crossing maintenance and repairs (tunnel closure schedule, A282 northbound closure, QEII Bridge cable stay works, update dated 30 July 2026)
• GOV.UK: Pay the Dartford Crossing charge and charges (hours, prices, resident discount)
• National Highways: The Dartford Crossing (traffic volumes, dangerous-load closures)
• Kent County Council: A282 Junctions 1a and 1b (congestion, ANPR yellow-box enforcement)
• National Highways: Government funding gives green light and Early work begins on the Lower Thames Crossing (consent, funding, timeline)
• KentOnline: Long tailbacks at Dartford Tunnel as roadworks overrun
• APCOA: Dartford Station car park (station parking tariffs)
• Fastrack Route A and Route B timetables

Closure dates and charges were checked on 7 August 2026 and can change at short notice. Always confirm against National Highways and GOV.UK before you travel. We update this page as major schemes change.