Busy motorway tunnel used by 150,000 drivers per day will SHUT this weekend for major works – check full diversion route

A BUSY motorway tunnel used by 150,000 drivers per day will be shut this weekend for major works - with a full diversion route in place.

Drivers have been advised to avoid Dartford Crossing from Saturday through to Monday.

Sections of the northbound carriageway and both its east and west tunnels will be closed at various times for road works.

The Dartford Crossing connects Dartford in Kent to Thurrock in Essex via the A282.

Closures will start each night from 10pm and reopen at 5am the next morning.

And diversions will be in operation via National Highways roads.

From Saturday, February 8 to Sunday, February 9, the affected sections include the A282 Northbound and the West Tunnel.

From Sunday, February 9 to Monday, February 10, closures include A282 Northbound and the East Tunnel.

Although the closure timings are currently between 10pm and 5am, they may be subject to change from causes such as the weather.

It comes after the government announced its plans to built a huge motorway-style tunnel that could cost £9 billion.

To be called the Lower Thames Crossing, the 14.3-mile route - which will be the longest of its kind in the UK - will run through Essex and Kent.

The project, that would link the town of Tilbury in Essex to Medway in Kent, would also be connected to the A2 and M2 in Kent, as well as the A13 and M25 in Essex.

It would also provide transport links between London and crossings to Dover - which, of course, account for half of the goods traded between Britain and mainland Europe.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves discussed the endeavour at length on Wednesday and pledged to explore private financing options ahead of the Transport Secretary’s decision on its future in May.