Overnight closures of the QEII bridge have been extended this weekend.

The Dartford Crossing will be shut for safety purposes while maintenance and preparation work are carried out on a CCTV system and a bridge bearing replacement.

It will be closed from 8pm on Saturday, February 18, until 10am on Sunday, February 19.

This follows on from the work carried out in January, with the replacement of a bearing at the base of one of the bridge’s 84m-high pylons being installed.

During this time, a contraflow diversion for Kent-bound traffic will be in place through the east tunnel.

Most Essex-bound traffic will be able to use the west tunnel as usual.

For vehicles between 4.8m (15‘-9”) and 5.0m (16’-6”) high, an alternative diversion will be in place via the M25 clockwise.

Overnight closures of the tunnels, from 11pm to 5.30am, will also be taking place while survey work is completed.

The east tunnel will be closed tonight, tomorrow (Thursday), and Friday.

A clearly signed diversion will be in place via the west tunnel.

Oversized vehicles will be diverted via the M25 clockwise.

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From 10pm on Sunday, February 19, until 5am on Monday, February, 20 there is also another overnight east tunnel closure with the same diversions.

Maintenance teams will be carrying out their weekly tunnel inspections.

Work in the tunnels will continue next week between 10pm and 5.30am on Monday and Tuesday.

This will start at a slightly later time of 11pm on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to help reduce disruption for high-sided vehicles.

On Saturday, February 25, there may be another extended overnight closure of the QEII bridge – depending on how successful work is this weekend.

Wider bridge inspections and maintenance works will also take place then.

The bearings being fixed play a crucial role in transferring load from the bridge deck, and they also allow for thermal movement of the bridge as it expands and contracts in different temperatures.

They have become worn over time, so they’re being replaced to help keep journeys safe and maintained over the next several decades.

An extensive maintenance programme is currently under way at the Dartford Crossing which means overnight closures are in place regularly.