As the M1 turns 50, Transport Minister Chris Mole predicts a successful future for the route which forms the backbone of the UK’s road network.
Half a century to the day that the M1 was officially opened by then-Minister of Transport Ernest Marples, Roads Minister Chris Mole will visit Watford Gap service area in Northamptonshire on Monday 2 November to unveil a plaque commemorating the special birthday.
He also looks to future plans to increase capacity on the busiest sections of the 190-mile motorway which links London and the South East with the North of England and beyond and carries an average of 160,000 vehicles every day.
Chris Mole said:
“I am delighted to mark the 50th birthday of the M1 – a motorway with an iconic past which will soon benefit from the latest in motorway modernization thanks to Government investment of up to £6 billion.
“The M1 is a key artery, impacting upon both national and local economies, moving goods and people to places around the United Kingdom, whilst supporting investment.
“Managed Motorway technology, including hard shoulder running, is being rolled out to some of the busiest sections of the M1 – with main construction work due to start soon on delivering the congestion-busting system to a key stretch of the motorway.
“Following a successful trial on the M42 in the West Midlands, we are confident that by using variable speed limits to improve traffic flow during busy periods and opening up the hard shoulder as a running lane, we will reduce congestion and improve safety, as well as make journeys more reliable for road users.
“That’s why we confirmed earlier this year our plans to bring Managed Motorways to J10 to 13 in Bedfordshire and on two stretches of the motorway in Yorkshire, with longer term plans to introduce it on stretches of the M1 between Milton Keynes and south of Rugby and in the East Midlands.”
Schemes that the Highways Agency plan to start on the M1 between now and 2015 include:
• Main work is expected to start later this year to deliver the Managed Motorway with hard shoulder running scheme on the M1 between J10 (Luton) and J13 (Milton Keynes).
• Subject to the completion of statutory processes, work is expected to start during 2010-11 to deliver the Managed Motorway with hard shoulder running scheme on the M1 east of Sheffield between J32 and 35a.
• Subject to the completion of statutory processes, work is due to begin by 2015 on delivering the Managed Motorway with hard shoulder running schemes between J28 and J31 of the M1 south of Sheffield, and at Wakefield between J39 and J42.
• Subject to the completion of statutory processes work is due to begin on the M1 J19 / M6 Improvement scheme at ‘Catthorpe Interchange’.
In the longer term further locations planned for managed motorways include M1 J13-19 south of Rugby and J24-25 (Long Eaton).
Last year an award-winning £300m project to relieve congestion and improve safety by widening the M1 between the M25 and Luton was opened to traffic. The Highways Agency is also currently widening the M1 between J25 and J28 in the East Midlands.
Drivers on the M1 are also benefiting from the Highways Agency’s national and regional traffic control centers, and from the work of Highways Agency Traffic Officers who patrol the motorway and help to clear up incidents more quickly.
Source: Highways Agency
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