New Dartford tunnel safety system to go live

A new safety system that will help improve traffic flow at the Dartford Crossing will open for traffic next month.

The system is part of the Dart Charge project, which is speeding up journeys at the Crossing by removing the need to stop at a barrier to pay the crossing charge. It will identify, stop and turn around vehicles that may pose a safety risk – oversized or carrying dangerous loads – before they enter the tunnels, which run northbound from Kent into Essex.

It will also enable dangerous goods vehicles to be safely escorted through the tunnels and stop vehicles entering the tunnels in the event of an incident.

Dart Charge project director Nigel Gray said: “Since Dart Charge launched in November it has already significantly improved journeys at the Dartford Crossing. This new safety system is vital for the safe operation of the tunnels and will enable us to remove the old payment barriers for good. It will mean a significant change to the road layout, so I advise drivers to take extra care and pay extra attention to all signs and signals, especially for the first few times they use the crossing following the change.”