How tunnels and a bridge were built to cross the Thames
ARCHIVED photographs show what the Dartford Crossing looked like when it was being built.
The crossing over the River Thames, which connects Essex to Kent, started out with just one twoway tunnel, before a second tunnel and a bridge were built.
Before the coronavirus crisis, the huge structure allowed about 150,000 vehicles to pass each and every day.
The first tunnel was built in 1963, followed by the second in 1980, and finally the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge in 1991.
The original scheme was proposed in the 1800s, but actual plans were only made up in 1924.
A crossing from Tilbury Fort to Gravesend was initially rejected while a different crossing between Dartford and Purfleet was favoured. A pilot tunnel was authorised in 1936, and it was completed two years later.
However, the Second World War prevented progress on the full tunnel that was initially planned.
Then 30 years later, in 1955, the construction preparations were revived. The tunnel, now known as the West Bore, was the first to be built and cost £11 million, about £226 million in today’s money, and opened on November 18, 1963.
The East Bore tunnel opened on May 16, 1980. This was followed by the third river crossing, the QEII Bridge, on October 30, 1991.
The total cost of the tunnels was £13 million and £45 million, and then £86 million was spent on erecting the QEII Bridge. The total cost of building the Dartford Crossing stands at £144 million.
Toll booths were implemented at the bottom of the bridge and stood there for several years, until they were removed in 2014.
In November 2014, the crossing became cashless, with drivers having to create a Dart Charge account to pay for their travels online.
Charging for the crossing actually dates back to medieval times, where nuns from the Dartford Priory were given the right to operate a ferry service, and they raised funds for the church.