Fast forward to the 1970s. Traffic got so bad that drivers started naming their cars while waiting. The solution? A second tunnel—the eastbound bore—which opened on July 16, 1980.
That’s seventeen years after the first one. Why the gap? Well, building a tunnel is like making a perfect lasagna—it takes time, money, and a lot of swearing under your breath. Plus, they had to dig through chalk, which is basically nature’s way of saying, “Not today, buddy.”
Fun fact: The second tunnel was built using a massive machine called a shield. It was like a giant metal mole that chewed through the earth. I bet it made a sound like a hungry dragon.
Wait, Wasn’t There a Bridge, Too?
Great catch! Yes, the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge joined the party in 1991, turning the crossing into a tunnel-bridge hybrid. Now you get the best of both worlds: a claustrophobic tube or a windy, terrifyingly high bridge. You choose your own adventure.
But let’s stick to the tunnel. The whole crossing—officially the Dartford-Thurrock River Crossing—is a masterpiece of seriously stubborn engineering. It took three decades and a lot of tea breaks.
In pictures: Evolution of the Dartford Crossing 30 years after the
