The northbound left tunnel at the Dartford Crossing has been closed after an oversized lorry struck essential equipment, causing extensive damage. The incident occurred on Friday, 23 January, when the vehicle entered the tunnel and ripped into ventilation systems, CCTV, and fire detection/suppression infrastructure.
National Highways confirmed that the tunnel is likely to remain closed throughout the day while engineers work in overlapping shifts to assess and repair the damage. The right tunnel remains open, but drivers are facing delays of around 30 minutes with two miles of congestion backing onto the M25 in Kent.
The Dartford Crossing is the UK's busiest, handling over 150,000 vehicles daily. The closure has caused significant disruption, with motorists expressing frustration on social media, particularly over the failure of safety equipment to prevent oversized vehicles from entering the tunnels.
National Highways stated: 'We understand the disruption this closure has on those planning on using the northbound Dartford Crossing. We have all available personnel and resources available continuing to work at pace to address this issue and get the damaged tunnel reopened as soon as it is safe to do so.'
