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The Dartford-Thurrock River Crossing, commonly known as the Dartford Crossing and until 1991 the Dartford Tunnel, is a major road crossing of the River Thames in England, connecting Dartford in Kent to the south to Thurrock in Essex to the north. It consists of two bored tunnels and the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, a cable stayed bridge. The only fixed road crossing of the Thames east of Greater London, it is the busiest estuarial crossing in the United Kingdom, with an average daily use of over 130,000 vehicles. It opened in stages: the west tunnel in 1963, the east tunnel in 1980 and the bridge in 1991. The crossing forms part of the M25 motorway's route, though it is not under motorway restrictions itself. It has been described as one of the most important road crossings in Britain, and suffers from heavy traffic and congestion. The crossing's development started in the late 1930s, but was interrupted due to the Second World War and resumed in the 1950s. The original tunnel catered for a single lane of traffic in each direction, but rising traffic levels required the second tunnel to be built. The M25 connected to the tunnels at both ends when completed in 1986, and this increased traffic put pressure on the tunnels' capacity. A Private Finance Initiative scheme was started in 1988 to build the bridge. The combined crossing now handles four lanes of traffic in each direction. The crossing has always been tolled, though since 2008 it has been free from 10 pm to 6 am. An electronic charging scheme (Dart Charge) came into force in November 2014. As a result, the toll can no longer be paid in cash and the old toll booths have been removed. A residents' scheme is available, offering further discounts for people living near the crossing. ==Location== The crossing spans the River Thames between Dartford, Kent, to the south and Thurrock, Essex, to the north. It is about east of the centre of London, outside the Greater London boundary. The two tunnels are long, while the cable-stayed bridge is high with a main span of . The high-speed rail line High Speed 1 from St Pancras International Station to Ebbsfleet International Station passes under the crossing approach roads on the north side of the river, at a near right angle. The design capacity is 135,000 vehicles per day, but in practice the crossing can carry as much as 160,000.〔 It has been described by the Highways Agency as "a vital transport link for the national and South East economies" and by the Secretary of State for Transport, Patrick McLoughlin as "a crucial part of the country’s strategic road network".〔 It is signed as a major destination on London's orbital route, the M25, though the crossing and its approach road are an all-purpose road (the A282), allowing traffic prohibited from motorways to use it. Southbound traffic crosses the four lane bridge, while northbound traffic uses both of the two lane road tunnels. However, the bridge is sometimes closed due to bad weather, such as high winds, or for maintenance. On these occasions, traffic uses the tunnels in both directions. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Dartford Crossing」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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