Its first section ran from St Albans to Rugby and opened in December 1959. The M1 goes from Golders Green (in the north of London) to Garforth (near Leeds). Hardwick Roundabout in Kings Lynn finally got its flyover in 2003, but it wasn't what the locals had expected. This is deliberate policy not a fault. The final section of the M1 was opened to Junction 1 at Staples Corner in 1977. This is the story of one man at Oxfordshire County Council who pre-empted the development of modern road signs - much to the annoyance of the men from the Ministry. The A5-M1 Link aims to alleviate traffic congestion in Houghton Regis and Dunstable, reduce journey times for long-distance traffic travelling through Dunstable and improve the regional economy. All lighting columns from Junctions 10 to 14 were removed completely, apart from some on slip roads. J6 of the M1 links to the … When you confirm, your password will be updated. The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle. Get live email alerts whenever there is a traffic incident or roadworks on the roads you travel that may cause congestion or jams. [18], There is a proposal to widen the M1 to dual 4-lane or dual 5-lane between Junctions 21 and 21a and construct a new link road between the M1 and the M69. [5] The early M1 had no speed limits, crash barriers, or lighting, and had soft shoulders rather than hard. Mapping and reporting street problems to the councils responsible for fixing them – anywhere in the UK. With the M62 and M621, the M1 forms a ring of motorways around the south of Leeds. The original N1 route now forms the R132.

Its original specification called for road that would carry 13,000 to 14,000 vehicles per day; today it carries 130,000 to 140,000. Fill in your details manually. Is it the UK's most misunderstood junction? Hardwick Roundabout in Kings Lynn finally got its flyover in 2003, but it wasn't what the locals had expected. In March 1972, 200 vehicles crashed in thick fog resulting in the deaths of nine people on the M1 north of Luton. With thanks to Clive Jones, John Morgan, Robert Sprigge, Moogal, Duncan Childs, Ian Hooper, Lewis, Phil Reynolds, Paul Berry and Nick for information on this page. Escalating costs across the whole of the Highways Agency programme, including the M1 project, on which costs had risen to £5.1 billion, as well as increasing opposition to major road expansion,[13][14] as well as criticisms by the Transport Select Committee and the National Audit Office, led to wide-ranging re-assessments of the Agency's project costs. Yellow box junctions keep crossroads clear and traffic on the move. The first section of the motorway, between Junction 5 (Watford) and Junction 18 (Crick/Rugby), opened on 1 November 1959, together with the motorway's two spurs, the M10 (from Junction 7 to south of St Albans originally connecting to the A1) and the M45 (from Junction 17 to the A45 and Coventry). This was because a Government review into smart motorways found dynamic hard shoulder running was too confusing for drivers, leading to plans to convert all dynamic hard shoulders into permanent running lanes. At the time it was stunning - the idea of a road on which you could maintain breakneck speeds (and with no speed limit), that gave you three full traffic lanes for fifty miles or more, that had flyovers and bridges to get all cross-traffic and other obstructions out of the way - well, it was unbelievable. The M10 spur was built as a motorway because it inevitably led to the M1, but as non-motorway traffic could now travel between the A414 at Hemel Hempstead and Park Street Roundabout without having to access the M1, the M10 was downgraded to an A road, and designated as part of the A414 to allow for this. North of there, as far as Milton Keynes, it's been turned into a Smart Motorway, which isn't quite so good for capacity but has allowed Owen Williams' bridges to survive. Most junctions on the M1 have names as well as junction numbers, these names sometimes come from the construction name, some are more popular names developed after the motorway opened. Almost the entire length of the N1 has been upgraded to motorway standard and is designated the M1 motorway. Foursquare uses cookies to provide you with an optimal experience, to personalize ads that you may see, and to help advertisers measure the results of their ad campaigns. Not everyone understands the rules, though - do you? Status : Pending.

Today, it has seen a number of expensive upgrades to help it cope with modern traffic. Get in touch with us or stay up to date with our latest news and updates. [36][37] The motorway junctions and their approaches, and a section of the M1 on either side of Junction 11 (north Luton), would have lighting columns replaced and remain lit. [33][34] A 50 mph limit, enforced by average speed cameras, was imposed for the period of construction, but it proved to be so effective that a permanent variable mandatory speed limit system was installed. [17] As part of the Dunstable Town Centre Masterplan, Central Bedfordshire Council built the 2.9 km Woodside Link to connect the new junction 11a to the industrial areas of Dunstable and Houghton Regis. JustoffJunction lists places to eat, accomodation, petrol stations and many more services just off M1 junctions. The southern end was extended in 1977 and the northern end was extended in 1999. [29] This made the hard shoulder available to be opened as a traffic lane where additional capacity was necessary. There had been plans before the Second World War for a motorway network in the United Kingdom. Your password should include 6 or more characters.