How to avoid the Dartford Crossing
Strictly speaking, you can. There are five other ways across the Thames east of central London. None of them are quicker than the Dartford Crossing for an east-Essex-to-east-Kent journey. This page lays out the honest cost, time and fuel comparison so you can decide whether avoidance makes sense for your specific trip.
The honest answer: for most journeys, you can't
The Dartford Crossing is the easternmost road crossing of the Thames. The next one west is the Blackwall Tunnel, 16 miles up the river in central London. Diverting there adds 30-60 minutes in even moderate traffic and burns roughly half a gallon of fuel each way. The Woolwich Ferry is closer but holds only 30 cars and queues during the day. For a typical Kent-to-Essex journey, the Dart Charge at £3.50 is cheaper than the alternative in nearly every respect.
Every Thames road crossing east of Tower Bridge
Ranked east to west. Distance is approximate driving distance from M25 J31 (Thurrock).
| Crossing | Distance from Dartford | Cost (car) | Capacity / wait | Typical detour time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dartford Crossing | 0 miles | £3.50 PAYG | High-capacity, queues at peak | 0 min |
| Woolwich Ferry | 14 miles west | Free | 30 cars per crossing, 12 min cycle | +45-90 min |
| Silvertown Tunnel | 17 miles west | £1.50-£4.00 | High-capacity, opened Apr 2025 | +35-70 min |
| Blackwall Tunnel | 18 miles west | £1.50-£4.00 | Heavy congestion northbound at peak | +40-80 min |
| Rotherhithe Tunnel | 21 miles west | Free | No HGV, 7.5t weight limit | +50-90 min |
| Tower Bridge | 23 miles west | Free | Closes for shipping ~6x/week | +60-100 min |
The three cases where avoidance actually wins
Avoidance isn't free; it costs time, fuel and stress. These are the cases where the time cost is worth it.
Case 1
Major Dartford closure
Tunnel fire, lorry crash, suspect package. These happen 4-6 times a year and shut the crossing for 2-6 hours. The diversion via Blackwall or Silvertown is the only practical option.
Case 2
Late-night journey on busy peak
Friday 4-7pm northbound regularly adds 60-90 minutes. If you can shift your trip past 10pm, the Dart Charge is free, the tunnels are empty, and avoidance is irrelevant.
Case 3
You're cycling or walking
Neither tunnel nor bridge permits non-motorised users. National Highways runs a free minibus shuttle four times a day. Or use the Woolwich Ferry (cyclists ride free) for a longer but more flexible alternative.
The fuel maths nobody does
Diverting from Dartford to Blackwall adds about 18 extra miles each way. At 45mpg and £1.45 a litre petrol, that's roughly £2.20 in extra fuel each direction. Plus a £4.00 Blackwall peak toll. Total: £8.20 of extra cost to avoid a £3.50 Dart Charge. The diversion costs you £4.70 more, plus the 30-60 minutes of extra time.
At off-peak Blackwall pricing (£1.50), the diversion is still £5.90 versus the Dart Charge £3.50, so £2.40 more in cost plus an hour of time. The maths only flips for full-fee HGVs (Dart Charge £8.40) crossing during Blackwall's off-peak window, and only marginally then.
The genuinely cheap way: shift your time
Between 10pm and 6am every day, the Dart Charge is zero. If you can shift a discretionary trip into that window, you avoid the charge without diverting an extra mile. The bonus: the tunnels are empty, the bridge is wide open, and the M25 around J31 runs at the limit instead of at 20mph.
For commuters this rarely works. For weekend trips, deliveries and one-off journeys, it's the single most effective avoidance tactic. See the free hours and traffic guide for a detailed peak-times table.
Related guides
Alternative routes (full)
Detailed cost-and-time comparisons.
Lower Thames Crossing
Construction started March 2026.
Free hours and peak times
10pm-6am free, when to avoid.
Dartford resident pass
£25/yr unlimited if you live in DA.
Thurrock resident pass
£25/yr unlimited if you live in RM.
2026 price list
Every class, every method.
Avoidance questions
Can I avoid the Dartford Crossing for free?+
Yes, but at significant time cost. The Woolwich Ferry is the only free Thames road crossing east of central London. It's 14 miles west of Dartford, holds 30 cars, and runs every 10-15 minutes. For a single journey it can add 45-90 minutes including the queue. The other alternatives, Blackwall and Silvertown Tunnels, charge their own tolls.
Is the Blackwall Tunnel cheaper than the Dart Charge?+
No. As of April 2025 the Blackwall Tunnel charges £4.00 peak / £1.50 off-peak for cars, comparable to the Dart Charge but with peak-hour pricing and a more bureaucratic auto-pay system. It's also 18 miles west of Dartford, so the diversion typically costs more in fuel than it saves in tolls.
What about the Silvertown Tunnel?+
Silvertown Tunnel opened in April 2025 alongside the Blackwall. Same operator (TfL), same pricing structure, slightly less congestion. For drivers crossing further east (Essex to Kent) it's not closer than Dartford, just an alternative if Dartford is closed or queueing badly.
When does it actually make sense to avoid the Dartford Crossing?+
Three cases. One: you're crossing at 10pm-6am anyway (Dart Charge is free). Two: there's a major incident closing Dartford. Three: you're a local who can use the £25 resident pass; that's avoidance of the cost, not the route. For most journeys, the next-closest crossing adds 30-60 minutes and isn't worth it.
What is the cyclist and pedestrian shuttle?+
A free minibus service run by National Highways, four times a day, that carries cyclists and walkers across the Dartford Crossing because the tunnels and bridge don't permit non-motorised users. Book at gov.uk/dartford-crossing-cyclists. Bicycles travel free, no Dart Charge applies.
Will the Lower Thames Crossing be an alternative?+
Yes, but not for years. Construction started in March 2026 and the official opening estimate is the early 2030s. It will be tolled at rates yet to be confirmed, and is intended to relieve Dartford by adding capacity, not to be cheaper. Until it opens, the Dartford Crossing remains the only practical eastern Thames road crossing.
Oliver Wakefield-Smith
Founder, Digital Signet
Independent reference for Dart Charge prices and routing, sourced from gov.uk and updated against announced National Highways tariff changes.
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