Dartford Crossing & Dartford Tunnel
The Dartford Crossing is the busiest single point on the whole M25 — two tunnels northbound under the Thames, and the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge southbound over it. When it stops, the queues reach back for miles on both sides of the river.
One thing worth knowing before you read the reports below. The Dartford Crossing is not legally part of the M25. Between junction 31 at West Thurrock on the Essex side and junction 1a at Dartford on the Kent side, the road stops being motorway and becomes the A282. That is why there is a charge, why the tunnels have a speed limit, and why lorries carrying certain loads are stopped and escorted through.
National Highways report incidents on this stretch under A282 rather than M25 — so this page shows the A282 reports, which is what covers the Crossing itself. For everything happening on the rest of the ring, see all the latest M25 traffic news.
Latest Dartford Crossing reports
Reports we are aware of for the Crossing, refreshed through the day. If nothing is listed, we have no reports for this stretch at the moment — which is usually good news, but it is not the same as saying the road is clear.
Search all the latest Dartford Crossing traffic news →
Latest accident or incident on the Dartford Crossing
The most recent accident or incident on the Dartford Crossing that we are aware of.
Latest active roadworks on the Dartford Crossing
Roadworks live on the Dartford Crossing right now.
Latest planned roadworks on the Dartford Crossing
The next planned roadworks scheduled on the Dartford Crossing.
A282 Southbound Jct 1A to Jct 2 carriageway closure
18:0110 Sept 2026reported 10 min ago
- Location
- A282 southbound within the A296/A225 junction
- Direction
- Southbound
- Lanes closed
- Carriageway closed
- Reason
- Other
- Schedule
- 22:00 Thu 10 Sept → 05:30 Fri 11 Sept
Forecast - not confirmed
+ 1 more planned roadworks - search all Dartford Crossing traffic news →
Search all the latest Dartford Crossing traffic news →
Updated 18:12 Thu 10 Sept
Powered by National Highways’ Transport Data Feeds.
See all the latest M25 traffic news and reports →
The Dartford Crossing, in plain numbers
The Dartford Crossing carries more M25 traffic through one point than anywhere else on the motorway — and its two halves are not the same size, which is the key to why today’s Dartford Tunnel traffic delays build so fast.
122,329
vehicles a day
across the Crossing — 54,360 northbound through the Dartford Tunnel and 67,969 southbound over the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, where the M25 becomes the A282.
25%
busier southbound
The bridge carries 13,609 more vehicles a day than the tunnels. When high winds close it, all that traffic goes through tunnels already carrying 54,000 — and the delays are immediate.
1 in 6
northbound is a lorry
9,277 HGVs a day head north through the Dartford Tunnel, one of the busiest freight points in the country. It is why certain loads are escorted, and why one crash here closes so much.
6am–10pm
when you pay
The Dart Charge applies between 6am and 10pm, including weekends and bank holidays, and must be paid by midnight the day after you cross.
Two tunnels north, one bridge south, and no easy way round either — the next Thames crossing east is a ferry and the next west is central London. A Dartford Crossing closure does not spread out. It simply stops. The latest Dartford Tunnel and Dartford Crossing traffic news for today is above, updated through the day alongside the rest of our M25 motorway news, accidents and roadworks.
Figures are Average Annual Daily Flow for 2025, from Department for Transport road traffic statistics published on 20 May 2026.
Why the Crossing stops when the rest of the M25 is moving
- The bridge closes in high winds. When it does, southbound traffic is sent through the tunnels alongside the northbound traffic — and the tunnels were never built to carry both.
- The tunnels have a height limit. Anything too tall for them cannot use the Crossing at all when the bridge is shut.
- Some loads are escorted. Vehicles carrying certain goods are held and taken through the tunnel in convoy, which stops everything behind them.
- There is no easy way round. The next Thames crossing east is the ferry; the next one west is central London. A closure here does not spread — it simply stops.
Traffic figures are Average Annual Daily Flow for 2025, from Department for Transport road traffic statistics published on 20 May 2026. Charge times are as published on GOV.UK.