M1 motorway Totally Explained

Everything about M1 Motorway totally explained

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ť This article concerns the M1 motorway in England. For other M1 motorways, see M1 motorway (disambiguation).

The M1 is a major south – north motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the Preston Bypass, which later became part of the M6.
The motorway is long and was constructed in four phases; the majority of the motorway was opened in 1959 and between 1965 and 1968. The two ends of the motorway were extended later; the southern end in 1977 and the northern end in 1999. It forms part of the unsigned European route E13.

History

First Section, 1959

The first section of the motorway opened between junction 5 (Watford) and junction 18 (Crick/Rugby) on 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).
   The M1 was officially inaugurated from Slip End, this is celebrated by a large concrete slab on the bridge next to the village with inscription "London-Yorkshire Motorway, This slab was sealed by the Rt Hon Harold Watkinson M.P. Minister of transport inauguration day, 24th March 1958".
   This section of the M1 broadly follows the route of the A5 north-west. It started at the Watford Bypass (A41), which runs south-east to meet the A1 at Apex corner, and ended on the A5 at Crick. The M10 spur motorway connected the M1 to the North Orbital Road (A405/A414, a precursor of the M25) where it also meet the A5 (now renumbered here as the A5183) and, two miles to the east via the A414, to the A6 (also renumbered as the A1081).
   Although the whole of first section opened in 1959 it was built in two parts with the northern part (junctions 10 to 18) being built by John Laing.
   There has never been a Junction 3 between Junctions 2 and 4. There were initially plans for a Junction 3 to be completed, but these have never materialised.

Rugby to Leeds, 1965 to 1968

The continuation of the motorway from junction 18 towards Yorkshire was carried out as a series of extensions between 1965 and 1968. Diverging from the A5, the motorway takes a more northerly route through the East Midlands, via Leicester, Loughborough, Nottingham to Sheffield where the M18 splits from the M1 at junction 32 to head to Doncaster.
Originally, the M1 was planned to end at Doncaster; however, it was decided to make what was going to be the "Leeds and Sheffield Spur", the primary route with the section to the A1(M) south of Doncaster given a separate motorway number.
From junction 32, the motorway passes between Sheffield and Rotherham, towards Barnsley then heads towards Wakefield and reaches the original end of the motorway at junction 44 to the east of Leeds. There were plans to route the M1 from just south of junction 42 where it interchanges with the M62, round the west of Leeds to the A1 at Dishforth; however the existing route to the east of Leeds was selected. With the M62 and M621, the M1 forms a ring of motorways around Leeds.

Leeds South Eastern Urban Motorway, 1972

In 1972 an extension of the M1 was opened into central Leeds as the Leeds South Eastern Motorway where it met the Leeds South Western Motorway (M621) coming north-east from the M62 at junction 3.

Leeds to Hook Moor, 1999

Between 1996 and 1999 the M1 section north of the M62 underwent a major reconstruction and extension to take the M1 on a new route to the A1(M) at Aberford. The new road involved the construction of a series of new junctions, bridges and viaducts to the east of Leeds. When the new section of M1 was completed and opened in 1999, the Leeds South Eastern Motorway section of the M1 was redesignated as the M621 and the junctions were given new numbers (M621 junctions 4 to 7).

London extensions, 1966, 1967 and 1977

The M1 was extended south from its original starting point at junction 5 towards London in three stages. The first stage, opened in 1966, took the motorway south-east, parallel to the A41 to meet the A5 at junction 4 south of Elstree. The second phase continued east to Scratchwood (where the London Gateway Service Area occupies the location of the missing junction 3 from where an unbuilt spur would have connected to the A1 at Stirling Corner), then south to run alongside the Midland Main Line towards Hendon where it meets the A1 again at junction 2 via a tightly curved flyover section. These flyovers connecting from the A1 were originally both for northbound traffic; the left one as the onramp to the M1, the right one going over the A1/A41 junction beneath to rejoin the A1 northbound.
The current junction 2 is about 650 yds (600 m) south of the original junction. Southbound traffic originally left the motorway via a slip road which passed under the A41/A1 Mill Hill Bypass and looped round to join it at Fiveways Interchange. This slip road is still in place and maintained, though not accessible to traffic. The northbound slip road from the A1 is now partially used as the entrance way to a business park but no longer reaches the northbound carriageway as it's cut off by the motorway continuing south.
The final section of the M1 was opened to junction 1 at Staples Corner in 1977. There the motorway meets the North Circular Road (A406) at a grade separated junction and roundabout. Plans made in the 1960s would have seen the motorway continue through the junction on an elevated roadway to end at West Hampstead where it would have met the North Cross Route, the northern section of the London Motorway Box, a proposed ring of urban motorway around the central area. The layout of the Staples Corner junction was originally built in accordance with these plans although most of the London Ringways Plan had been cancelled by 1973.

Improvements underway

Widening from Junction 6a to 10

Works to widen the M1, reducing congestion and improving both safety and journey time reliability, commenced mid-March 2006 and are expected to be completed by December 2008

Junction 19

At the junction between the M1 motorway, M6 motorway and A14 road at Catthorpe.

Widening from Junction 25 to 28

Work to widen the 15-mile stretch of motorway between Nottingham and Mansfield to four lanes each way began in January 2008 and is scheduled for completion in 2010.

Widening from Junction 31 to 32

Work to widen this short 1-mile stretch near Sheffield to four lanes each way was completed in January 2008.

Proposed improvements

Widening from Junction 10 to 13

The Highways Agency is proposing to widen approximately of the M1 motorway between Junction 10, south of Luton, and Junction 13 where it joins with the A421. This will upgrade the motorway from 3 to 4 lanes. There will also be improvements to junctions 11, 12 and 13..

Other widening proposals

There are plans to widen virtually the entire route of the M1 from Leicester through to Leeds.. The National Audit Office was called in in May 2007 to investigate why the price of the project has risen from £3.7bn to £5.1bn (this includes the section from the M25 to Luton which is already under construction.

Scheme	Location	Estimated Cost
From 21 to 30	Leicester to near Sheffield (25-28 already started)	£1,915m
From 30 to 31	near Sheffield	£135m
From 32 to 34S	near Sheffield	£139m
From 34N to 37	Sheffield to Barnsley	£246m
From 37 to 39	Barnsley to Wakefield	£224m
From 39 to 42	Wakefield to just past M62 near Leeds	£202m

Roadworks

Roadworks are currently taking place to increase the number of lanes between junctions 6a and 10. Traffic speed has been limited to 50mph around roadworks, and the date of completion is currently estimated to be December 2008.

Junctions

M1 Motorway

Southbound exits	Junction	Northbound exits
A406: North Circular (West), Brent Cross	J1	Start of Motorway
A406: North Circular (East) A1: The City	J2	No Access
London Gateway services
A41: Edgware	J4	No Access
A41: Harrow A4008: Watford	J5	A41: Aylesbury, Watford
A405: North Watford	J6	A405: St Albans, Heathrow Airport, Harlow
M25: Harlow, Dartford Tunnel, Heathrow Airport	J6a	No Access
M10: St Albans, Hatfield	J7	No Access
A414: Hemel Hempstead	J8	A414: Hemel Hempstead
A5: Whipsnade	J9	A5: Whipsnade
A1081: Luton Airport	J10	A1081: Luton Airport
A505: Luton, Dunstable	J11	A505: Luton, Dunstable
Toddington services
A5120: Flitwick, Houghton Regis	J12	A5120: Flitwick, Woburn
A421: Bedford A507:Woburn, Ampthill	J13	A421: Milton Keynes, Bedford A507: Ampthill
A509: Milton Keynes, Newport Pagnell	J14	A509: Milton Keynes, Newport Pagnell
Newport Pagnell services
A45: Northampton A508 Milton Keynes	J15	A45: Northampton A508 Milton Keynes
A43: Northampton, Oxford	J15a Northampton services	A43: Northampton, Oxford
A45: Northampton	J16	A45: Daventry
Watford Gap services
No Access	J17	M45: Coventry
A428: Daventry, DIRFT	J18	DIRFT, A5: Hinckley A428: Rugby
A14:Felixstowe, Corby, Kettering M6: The NORTH WEST	J19	M6: The NORTH WEST
A4303: Lutterworth, Rugby	J20	A4303: Lutterworth A4304: Market Harborough
M69: Coventry, Birmingham A5460: Leicester	J21	M69: Coventry A5460: Leicester
Leicester Forest East services
No Access	J21A	A46: Leicester, Newark
A50: Leicester A511: Coalville	J22 Markfield services	A511: Coalville, Ashby-de-la-Zouch
A512: Loughborough, Ashby-de-la-Zouch	J23	A512: Loughborough
A42(M42): The SOUTH WEST, Tamworth, Birmingham, Ashby-de-la-Zouch	J23a	A453: East Midlands Airport Donington Park services A42(M42): The SOUTH WEST, Tamworth, Birmingham
A6: Loughborough A453: East Midlands Airport Donington Park services	J24	A50: Stoke A6: Derby A453: Nottingham South/Centre
A50: Stoke A6: Derby	J24a	No Access
A52: Nottingham South, Derby	J25	A52: Derby, Nottingham West/Centre
Trowell Motorway Services
A610: Nottingham, Ilkeston	J26	A610: Ripley, Eastwood, Nottingham North/Centre
A608: Heanor, Hucknall	J27	A608: Mansfield
A38: Matlock	J28	A38: Mansfield, Matlock
Tibshelf services
A617: Mansfield, Matlock	J29	A617: Chesterfield
Under construction A632: Chesterfield / Bolsover	J29a	Under construction A632: Chesterfield / Bolsover
A616: Chesterfield, Newark	J30	A6135: Sheffield, Worksop
Woodall services
A57: Worksop	J31	A57: Worksop
M18: The NORTH, Doncaster, Hull	J32	M18: The North, Doncaster, Hull
A630: Sheffield, Rotherham, Robin Hood Airport	J33	A640: Sheffield, Rotherham, Robin Hood Airport
A6109: Meadowhall, Rotherham	J34	A6178: Meadowhall, Rotherham, Robin Hood Airport
A629: Rotherham	J35	A629: Rotherham
No Access	J35a	A616: Manchester
A61: Sheffield	J36	A61: Barnsley
A628: Barnsley, Manchester	J37	A628: Barnsley, Manchester
A637: Huddersfield, Barnsley	J38	A637: Huddersfield, Barnsley
Woolley Edge services
A636: Denby Dale	J39	A636: Denby Dale
A638: Wakefield, Dewsbury	J40	A638: Dewsbury, Batley, Wakefield
A650: Wakefield, Morley	J41	A650: Wakefield, Morley
M62: Hull, Manchester	J42	M62: Manchester, Bradford, Hull
No Access	J43	M621: Leeds
A639: Leeds	J44	A639: Leeds
Under construction A63: Leeds	J45	Under construction A63: Leeds
A6120: Leeds	J46	A6120: Leeds A63: Selby
A656: Castleford A642: Garforth	J47	A642: Garforth The South (A1)
Start of Motorway	A1(M), J43	A1(M): The NORTH, Wetherby

List of sights visible from the M1

Midland Main Line & Thameslink (between London Gateway services and junction 1, and also between junctions 11 and 12)
Remains of Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal (Buncefield) (after junction 8 northbound)
The Point Milton Keynes (between junction 13 to 14)
West Coast Main Line (runs alongside between junctions 16 and 18)
Rugby VLF transmitter (between junctions 18 and 19)
East Midlands Airport (between junctions 23A and 24)
Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station (between junctions 24 and 25)
Sutton Scarsdale Hall (on southern approach to junction 29 - visible only to southbound traffic)
Hardwick Hall (between junctions 28 and 29)
Bolsover Castle (between junctions 29 and 30)
Tinsley Viaduct cooling towers (Sheffield, near junction 34)
Meadowhall shopping centre (Sheffield, near junction 34)
Wentworth Castle (between junctions 36 and 37)
Barnsley Town Hall (visible travelling southbound between junctions 37 and 38)
Emley Moor mast (between junctions 37 and 38, again between junctions 39 and 40 and also between junctions 45 and 46)
Ferrybridge Power Station (Leeds, at junction 42 slip road North and Southbound)
Bridgewater Place (Leeds, between junctions 43 and 45)
Temple Newsam (Leeds, between junctions 44 and 45)

Notable events

On 8 January, 1989 a Boeing 737 crashed onto the embankment of the M1 whilst attempting an emergency landing into East Midlands Airport in Leicestershire.
On 6 September, 1997 large sections of the northbound carriageway were closed between London and Althorp, Northamptonshire to allow for the funeral precession of Diana, Princess of Wales. In an unprecedented event, police allowed pedestrians onto the normally busy northbound carriageway almost the entire length of the route to pay their respects.
In 2002, a section of the M1 near Milton Keynes was cleared using mobile police roadblocks to allow for filming of the movie 28 Days Later.
An stretch of the motorway was closed entirely on the morning of 11 December 2005 following a massive explosion and fire at the Buncefield Oil Depot which is situated less than half a mile from the M1.

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