Monday marked the 50th anniversary of the opening of the first tunnel at the Dartford Crossing. Two million vehicles started using the 1.4km long tunnel each year and today's crossing (which comprises two tunnels and a bridge) handles fifty million vehicles.

Dartford tunnel's eastern bore was added in 1980 and the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge opened alongside in 1991.

Tolls paid by drivers using the Crossing were set to end when the cost of constructing the bridge was paid off in 2003. But this was controversially changed when the previous Government decided to retain the tolls, citing safety concerns.

Next October a new 'free flow' method of paying to use the Dartford Crossing is set to be introduced to ease congestion caused by the stop/start of vehicles at toll plazas on the Kent side.

New technology and changes to the road layout will mean drivers will no longer stop at the crossing barriers to pay.

Roads Minister Robert Goodwill said: “The Crossing continues to bring huge benefits to the economy and with these benefits comes demand. The Government is committed to doing all we can to ease traffic flow and improve journeys for the future.”

Atkins' tolling services director Louise Lawrence, who previously managed tolling operations at the Crossing, said: "The Dartford Crossing is not just an iconic landmark and a valued link for the residents and business of Kent and Essex, but behind the scenes the cogs are turned by the many people who work there."

(Photo: Highways Agency)

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