Skip to main content

Sanef awarded major Dartford Crossing toll contract

The UK Highways Agency has awarded the US$589 million contract for the design, implementation, delivery and operation of the new free-flow charging system to sanef. The seven-year deal includes the opportunity to extend up to a further three years. New technology will allow drivers to use the crossing without having to stop at the barriers to hand over payment. Road users will be able to pay through a variety of methods including telephone, text, online and at retail outlets. Pre-paid accounts which qual
October 7, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
Sanef has won the Dartford Crossing toll contract
The 1841 UK Highways Agency has awarded the US$589 million contract for the design, implementation, delivery and operation of the new free-flow charging system to sanef. The seven-year deal includes the opportunity to extend up to a further three years.

New technology will allow drivers to use the crossing without having to stop at the barriers to hand over payment. Road users will be able to pay through a variety of methods including telephone, text, online and at retail outlets. Pre-paid accounts which qualify for discounted journeys will also be available.

The vehicle detection, charging and enforcement management services contract includes: implementation of vehicle detection solutions which will be used as the basis to detect, charge and enforce the scheme; design and delivery of back office services required for operating a free-flow charging service; and operation of the back office services, including charge payment processing, account management, enquiry handling and enforcement management services for the life of the contract.

UK roads minister Stephen Hammond said: “I welcome this contract award which shows the Government delivering on its promise to provide improvements that will help traffic flow better at this crucial gateway. This will help thousands of drivers who use the crossing every day, and benefit both the local and national economy.”

“We are introducing new technology and road layout changes to change the way drivers pay to use the Crossing. Once it is fully implemented drivers will not have to stop at the barriers, but will pay for their journey remotely. This will reduce congestion and ease traffic flow,” said Nigel Gray, Highways Agency project manager. The contract covers the development as well as the ongoing operation of the new payment system. We remain on track to deliver this improvement in October 2014.”

Francois Gauthey chief executive officer of sanef, commented: “This contract award reflects our expert ability to deliver innovative, high quality projects in this field. We are pleased to have been selected for this scheme and we are keen to work with the Highways Agency to deliver these vital improvements at the Dartford crossing and help ease the pain for the drivers who are justifiably frustrated with the congestion.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • UK government’s autumn statement – fuel tax freeze ‘a positive step’
    December 6, 2013
    Among the transport announcements made by the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, in his Autumn Statement, he promised tax relief for motorists, including a freeze in fuel duty for the remainder of this Parliament. He also confirmed the abolition of the paper road tax disc, ‘removing an administrative inconvenience for millions of motorists’ from October 2014. This move is expected to save the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) around US$5 million a year. It will also save fleet own
  • Charging trial tests smartphones for road user charging
    January 26, 2012
    A new project is under way in Minnesota, investigating whether smartphones are technically and publicly acceptable for use in road user charging. Jason Barnes reports. In Minnesota, trials have been launched to determine whether smartphones are technologically viable and acceptable to the public for distance based road user charging (RUC). The Midwestern US state has engaged with Battelle to explore RUC technology options in a project which falls under the auspices of the US Federal Connected Vehicle progra
  • Electronic toll collection: Change is in the air
    November 7, 2024
    Trends in technology plus users’ comfort in adopting new advances indicate that the environment for a new electronic toll collection architecture is evolving. Hal Worrall considers what this might look like
  • Mobinet counters weighty cross border concerns
    November 9, 2017
    A Mobinet pilot is combining onboard weighing with V2X comms to streamline vehicle weight enforcement. David Crawford reports. Pan-European, cross-border weigh-in-motion (WIM) for trucks is now a practical possibility, following successful Scandinavian trials within the EU-co-funded Mobinet (Internet of Mobility) programme. New technology is using strain sensors, located on load-bearing components and routinely installed in truck fleet management systems.