FROM 30 November 2014 the way you pay the Crossing charge will change when a new scheme called Dart Charge is introduced. Dart Charge replaces cash payments at toll booths and the DART-Tag.
Instead of stopping at a barrier to pay the charge at a booth, drivers will need to pay remotely, away from the Crossing. There will be several ways to pay, including online, at one of many retail outlets including those with a Payzone terminal, or by phone.
Dart Charge
You will be able to pay the charge before travelling if you know that your route takes you via the crossing or by midnight the following day if your use of the crossing was unplanned or you forgot to pay in advance.
Existing DART-Tag holders will be contacted before the changes take place about moving their accounts.
Full details here: http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/cost-of-motoring/dartford-crossing-dart-charge.html
Closure details
On Saturday night the northbound tunnels will be closed and on Sunday night the QEII bridge will be fully closed, with clearly signed diversions in place via the Blackwall Tunnel.
Dart Charge project director Nigel Gray said:
This weekend will see the start of massive changes at the Dartford Crossing and by Monday morning we will have southbound traffic able to use the Crossing barrier-free. We will be closing the Crossing overnight, in one direction at a time, to minimise the disruption while we change the road layout. I advise drivers to plan ahead and allow extra time for their journeys.
Connect Plus, a leading construction consortium and the Highways Agency’s main service provider for the whole M25, are carrying out construction work associated with the project.
Erwan Huerre, Connect Plus Services Transition Manager said:
Road users will see the benefit on southbound journeys early on, however work on the northbound carriageway, approaching the Dartford Tunnels, will take longer to complete. In the short term, road users will still need to drive through the old payment plaza, which will remain temporarily to manage traffic flows and maintain safety in the tunnels. The main works are due to be completed by spring 2015, which is when the full benefits of Dart Charge will be felt.
The Crossing will be closed, between junction 2 (for the A2) and junction 31 (for the A1306), to northbound traffic between 11.30pm on Saturday 29 and 6am in the morning of Sunday 30 November.
It will then be closed to southbound traffic between 11.30pm on Sunday 30 November and 5.30am in the morning of Monday 1 December. There will be additional closures and more information is available on our website.
A clearly signed diversion route will be in place via the A2, A102 (Blackwall Tunnel) and A13.
The Blackwall tunnel has a height restriction of 4.0m (13’0”) northbound, 4.7m (15’6”) southbound and is classed as ‘ADR Category E’ for hazardous goods. Any vehicles above these height restrictions or carrying dangerous goods will be diverted via the western section of the M25.
