M1 motorway

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M1 motorway Road of the United Kingdom Length 193 miles (310.6 km) Direction South - North Start London (A406) Primary destinations Luton Milton Keynes Northampton Leicester Nottingham Derby Sheffield Rotherham Barnsley Wakefield Leeds. End Hook Moor (A1(M)) Construction dates 1959 - 1999 Motorways joined J6a → M25 motorway J17 → M45 motorway J19 → M6 motorway J21 → M69 motorway J32 → M18 motorway J42 → M62 motorway J43 → M621 motorway J48 → A1(M) motorway Former Motorways joined J7 → M10 motorway Euroroute(s) E 13

The M1 motorway heading south towards junction 37 at Barnsley, South Yorkshire.

The M1 is a major north–south 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,^[1] the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the Preston Bypass, which later became part of the M6.^[2]

The motorway is 193 miles (311 km) 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.

Contents 1 History 1.1 First section, 1959 1.2 Rugby to Leeds, 1965 to 1968 1.3 Leeds South Eastern Urban Motorway, 1972 1.4 Lighting 1.5 Leeds to Hook Moor, 1999 1.6 London extensions, 1966, 1967 and 1977 1.7 Widening from Junction 31 to 32 1.8 Junction 29A 2 Improvements underway 2.1 Widening from Junction 25 to 28 3 Proposed improvements 3.1 Junction 19 3.2 Widening from Junction 10 to 13 3.3 Other widening proposals 4 Junctions 5 List of sights visible from the M1 6 Notable events 7 References 8 See also 9 External links

[edit] History

Since Italy became the first country to have a motorway in the 1920s, more countries had followed, notably Germany when Adolf Hitler ordered the construction of Autobahns in the 1930s. There had been plans since before the Second World War for a motorway network in the United Kingdom, but not until the 1950s did the dream become reality when the first motorways were given the government go-ahead.

Contrary to what its name might suggest, the M1 was not Britain's first motorway. The first motorway was the Preston By-pass in Lancashire, which opened the previous year. However, the M1 was Britain's first "full-length" motorway. [1]

[edit] First section, 1959

The first section of the motorway opened between junction 5 (Watford) and junction 18 (Crick/Rugby) on 2 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).

The M1 was officially inaugurated from Slip End (close to Luton), this was celebrated by a large concrete slab^[3] 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 met the A5 (now renumbered here as the A5183) and, two miles to the east via the A414, 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^[1] and the southern part (the St Albans Bypass) being built by Tarmac Construction.^[4]

[edit] 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 11-mile (18 km) 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 the south of Leeds.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Lighting

In July 1972 the UK Minister for Transport Industries announced that 86 miles (138 km) of UK motorway particularly prone to fog would benefit from lighting in a project which "should be" completed by 1973.^[5] Sections to be illuminated included the M1 between junctions 3 and 14, and between junctions 24 and 16.^[5]

[edit] 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 on 4 February 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).

[edit] 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 to the north-east), 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 was maintained until the early 2000s 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 is 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. Around the same time the section between the M10 and junction 5 was widened from the original two lanes to three.

On its completion, the M1 acted as a fast link road between Britain's capital city (London) and second city (Birmingham), though its terminus was in reality some 30 miles eastwards of Birmingham, with the remaining journey to be completed by A-road. It also provided a useful link to London Luton Airport for these regions, and its proximity to the site of the Milton Keynes new town (designated in 1967) meant that it was soon proving a vital transport link to yet another major area.

[edit] 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.^[6]

[edit] Junction 29A

Junction 29A, between Chesterfield and Bolsover, opened on 20 June 2008, providing better access to Bolsover and the new J29A industrial park/Markham Vale business development, as well as linking up with the proposed Staveley Bypass

[edit] Improvements underway

[edit] 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.^[7]

[edit] Proposed improvements

[edit] Junction 19

At the junction between the M1 motorway, M6 motorway and A14 road at Catthorpe.^[8][9]

[edit] Widening from Junction 10 to 13

The proposed scheme originally comprised of widening approximately 15 miles (24 km) of the M1 motorway between Junction 10, south of Luton, and Junction 13 where it joins with the A421, from 3 to 4 lane carriageway.^[10] The scheme also includes modification to junctions 11, 12 and 13 and the removal of bridges crossing the motorway that are considered of historical architectural value.^[11] However at the pre-inquiry meeting on 29 November 2007 the Highways Agency announced an estimated 4 month delay to the planned Public Inquiry due to further traffic modeling work being undertaken.^[12] Since this time no further timetable for the progression of the scheme was given and hard shoulder running was considered as an alternative^[10] In 2004 an estimated cost of the scheme was given at £382 million^[13] but since then an increase in the estimated cost has contributed towards the reappraisal of the scheme.^[10]

In January 2009 it was announced that the proposal would be replaced with the Hard Shoulder Running Scheme and the published draft Orders were withdrawn in March 2009.^[10]

[edit] Other widening proposals

There are plans to widen virtually the entire route of the M1 from Leicester through to Leeds.^[14] The National Audit Office was called 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, junctions 6a - 10, which was completed in December 2008.^[15]

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

[edit] Junctions

M1 Motorway
Southbound exits	Junction	Northbound exits
North Circular (West), Brent Cross A406	J1	Start of Motorway
North Circular (East) A406 The City A1	J2	No access
London Gateway services
Edgware A41	J4	No access
Harrow A41 Watford A4008	J5	Aylesbury, Watford A41
North Watford A405	J6	St Albans, Heathrow Airport, Harlow A405
Heathrow,Gatwick,(M40, M4,M23) M11, M20, M25	J6a	No access
No access	J7	Hemel Hempstead A414
Hemel Hempstead, St Albans, Hatfield A414	J8	No access
Redbourn A5183	J9	Dunstable A5, Redbourn A5183
Luton Airport A1081	J10	Luton Airport A1081
Luton, Dunstable A505	J11	Luton, Dunstable A505
Toddington services
Flitwick, Houghton Regis A5120	J12	Flitwick, Woburn A5120
Bedford A421 Woburn, Ampthill A507	J13	Milton Keynes, Bedford A421 Ampthill A507
Milton Keynes, Newport Pagnell A509	J14	Milton Keynes, Newport Pagnell A509
Newport Pagnell services
Northampton A45 Milton Keynes A508	J15	Northampton A45 Milton Keynes A508
Northampton, Oxford A43	J15a Northampton services	Northampton, Oxford A43
Northampton A4500	J16	Daventry A45
Watford Gap services
No access	J17	Coventry M45
Daventry, DIRFT A428	J18	DIRFT Hinckley A5 Rugby A428
The NORTH WEST M6 Felixstowe, Corby, Kettering A14	J19	The NORTH WEST M6
Lutterworth, Rugby A4303	J20	Lutterworth A4303 Market Harborough A4304
Coventry, Birmingham M69 Leicester A5460	J21	Coventry M69 Leicester A5460
Leicester Forest East services
No access	J21a	Leicester, Newark A46
Leicester A50 Coalville A511	J22 Markfield services	Coalville, Ashby-de-la-Zouch A511
Loughborough, Ashby-de-la-Zouch A512	J23	Loughborough, Ashby-de-la-Zouch A512
The SOUTH WEST, Tamworth, Birmingham, Ashby-de-la-Zouch A42 (M42)	J23a	The SOUTH WEST, Tamworth, Birmingham A42 (M42) East Midlands Airport A453 Donington Park services
Loughborough A6 East Midlands Airport A453 Donington Park services	J24	Stoke A50 Derby A6 Nottingham South/Centre A453
Stoke A50 Derby A6	J24a	No access
Nottingham South, Derby A52	J25	Derby, Nottingham West/Centre A52
Trowell services
Nottingham, Ilkeston A610	J26	Ripley, Eastwood, Nottingham North/Centre A610
Heanor, Hucknall A608	J27	Mansfield A608
Matlock A38	J28	Mansfield, Matlock A38
Tibshelf services
Mansfield, Matlock A617	J29	Chesterfield A617
Markham Vale A6192 Bolsover (A632)	J29a	Markham Vale A6192 Bolsover (A632)
Chesterfield, Newark A616	J30	Sheffield, Worksop A6135
Woodall services
Worksop A57	J31	Worksop A57
The NORTH, Doncaster, Hull M18	J32	The North, Doncaster, Hull M18
Sheffield, Rotherham, Robin Hood Airport A630	J33	Sheffield, Rotherham, Robin Hood Airport A630
Meadowhall, Rotherham A6109:	J34	Meadowhall, Rotherham, Robin Hood Airport A6178:
Rotherham A629	J35	Rotherham A629
No access	J35a	Manchester A616
Sheffield A61	J36	Barnsley A61
Barnsley, Manchester A628	J37	Barnsley, Manchester A628
Huddersfield, Barnsley A637	J38	Huddersfield, Barnsley A637
Woolley Edge services
Denby Dale A636	J39	Denby Dale A636
Wakefield, Dewsbury A638	J40	Wakefield, Dewsbury, Batley A638
Wakefield, Morley A650	J41	Wakefield, Morley A650
Hull, Manchester M62	J42	Hull, Manchester, Bradford M62
No access	J43	Leeds M621
Leeds A639	J44	Leeds A639
Leeds A63	J45	Leeds A63
Leeds A6120	J46	Leeds A6120 Selby A63
Castleford A656 Garforth A642	J47	Garforth A642 The South (A1)
Start of Motorway	A1(M), J43	The NORTH, Wetherby A1(M)

[edit] List of sights visible from the M1

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

• Midland Main Line and 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)
• Express Lift Tower in Northampton (between junctions 14 and 16)
• 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)
• Meadowhall shopping centre (Sheffield, near junction 34)
• Former site of the Blackburn Meadows Power Station (Tinsley Cooling Towers) (Sheffield, near junction 34, opposite Meadowhall)
• 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)

[edit] 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, killing 47 passengers.

On 6 September 1997 large sections of the northbound carriageway were closed between London and Althorp, Northamptonshire to allow for the funeral procession 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 18-mile (29 km) 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.

On the morning of 24 August 2008 the Tinsley Viaduct and surrounding motorway was closed to allow safe demolition of the Tinsley cooling towers. The demolition occurred at 0300 BST,^[16] the M1 remaining closed for much of the day until the stability of the viaduct was confirmed.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Category:M1 Motorway service stations
• List of motorways in the United Kingdom

[edit] External links

• Book on history of design, construction and use of M1 in late 1950s and 1960s [2]
• CBRD Motorway Database - M1
• Highways Agency
• The Motorway Archive:
  • Hendon to Crick
  • Crick to Doncaster
  • Aston to Leeds
  • M1/M18
  • M1 extension to A1(M)
• UK-Roads.org.uk - Images of M1
• The London - Yorkshire Motorway - History of the construction of the first section of M1
• BBC website The Backbone of Britain contains link to a video of 2'42" in length
• BBC website 'M1 could be dangerous in rain

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