Time travel 60 Years of the Dartford Crossing

It’s six decades since the Dartford Crossing opened, linking Essex and Kent across the River Thames in London.

Today it is one of the UK’S most important transport routes, carrying more than 50 million vehicles a year and providing a vital connection between some of the country’s biggest ports and distribution hubs.

The idea was first conceived back in 1926 and work began in the 1930s but was suspended due to the outbreak of the Second World War. Prior to its 1963 opening, those wanting to travel across the river in this area had to use the Blackwall Tunnel or take a ferry.

The crossing was initially designed to carry around two million vehicles per year, but as more traffic took to the roads an additional tunnel was constructed, opening in 1980.

The completion of the M25 further increased demand, leading to another expansion, culminating in the opening of the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge in 1991.

Motorists using the Dartford Crossing were always required to pay a toll, which in 1963 cost two shillings and sixpence.

In 1999 it was announced that the crossing would be free by the end of 2003 but two years later, government ministers backtracked on the agreement.

Today, the Dart Charge is between £2 and £6 depending on the vehicle, but it is free between 10pm and 6am.

Before 2014, fees were paid at toll booths, but this often caused long delays. After the booths were scrapped, drivers have been able to pay online, over the phone, by post or at Payzone retailers.

More than a billion vehicles are thought to have used the crossing since the first tunnel opened on November 18, 1963.

Francis Cluett, head of delivery at National Highways, said: “The tunnel has provided vital connections between people, jobs and businesses for 60 years.

“It was an amazing engineering achievement at the time.”

National Highways is proposing to build a new road and tunnel, the Lower Thames Crossing, to link the M25 in Essex with the M2 and A2 in Kent. If approved, construction could start in 2026.

Easyjet has launched a Christmas postal service for kids going on holiday over Christmas worried Santa won’t know where they’ll be. All letters posted in the airline’s orange post boxes at Gatwick, Luton, Bristol and Manchester will be flown to Lapland to be handdelivered to him.