M1 motorway

The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK;[2] the first motorway in the country was the Preston By-pass, which later became part of the M6.[3]

M1
London-Yorkshire Motorway
Looking north towards junction 37 on one of the few stretches that remains 3 lanes, as was originally built.
Route information
Part of E13
Maintained by Highways England
Length	193.5 mi[1] (311.4 km)
Existed	1959–present
History	Opened: 1959 Completed: 1999
Major junctions
South end	Staples Corner, London (A406) 51.5755°N 0.2351°W
	J6a → M25 motorway J17 → M45 motorway J19 → M6 motorway J21 → M69 motorway J32 → M18 motorway J42 → M62 motorway J43 → M621 motorway A1(M) motorway
North end	Hook Moor, West Yorkshire (A1(M)) 53.8229°N 1.3388°W
Location
Counties	Greater London, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire
Primary destinations	London Brent Cross Watford St Albans Hemel Hempstead Luton Milton Keynes Northampton Rugby Leicester Loughborough Nottingham Derby Mansfield Chesterfield Sheffield Rotherham Barnsley Wakefield Leeds
Road network
Roads in the United Kingdom Motorways A and B road zones ← M1 → M2

The motorway is 193 miles (311 km) long and was constructed in four phases. Most of the motorway was opened between 1959 and 1968. The southern end was extended in 1977 and the northern end was extended in 1999. It forms part of the unsigned European route E13.

History

There had been plans before the Second World War for a motorway network in the United Kingdom. Lord Montagu formed a company to build a 'motorway like road' from London to Birmingham in 1923,[4] but it was a further 26 years before the Special Roads Act 1949 was passed, which allowed for the construction of roads limited to specific vehicle classifications, and in the 1950s, the country's first motorways were given the government go-ahead.

The first section of motorway was the Preston Bypass in Lancashire, now part of the M6 motorway, which opened in 1958.[3] The M1 was Britain's first full-length motorway and opened in 1959.[5] The early M1 had no speed limits, crash barriers, or lighting, and had soft shoulders rather than hard.

First section, 1959

Looking north from B579 bridge at Chalton. Former cement works at Sundon to the right (May 1958)

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). Parts of the Hertfordshire section were built using steam rollers.[6]

The M1 was officially inaugurated from Slip End (close to Luton), celebrated by a large concrete slab[7] 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". It was relocated, during widening works in 2007–08, to the eastern side of junction 10.

Looking north from a similar position south of Toddington services (July 1959)

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, 2 miles (3.2 km) to the east via the A414, the A6, which subsequently became part of the M25.

Although the whole of the first section opened in 1959, it was built in two parts, with the northern part (Junctions 10 to 18) being built by John Laing[2] and the southern part (the St Albans Bypass) being built by Tarmac Construction.[8]

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 but it was decided to make what was going to be the "Leeds and Sheffield Spur" into the primary route, with the 11-mile (18 km) section to the A1(M) south of Doncaster given the separate motorway number M18.

From Junction 32, the motorway passes Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley and Wakefield, reaching the original end of the motorway at (the original) 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. The chosen route passes to the east of Leeds. With the M62 and M621, the M1 forms a ring of motorways around the south of Leeds.

Leeds South Eastern Urban Motorway, 1972

The M1 and M621 interchange on the northbound carriageways at Leeds

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.

Lighting

In July 1972, the then UK Minister for Transport Industries, John Peyton, announced that 86 miles (138 km) of UK motorway particularly prone to fog would benefit from lighting in a project that "should be" completed by 1973.[9] Sections to be illuminated included the M1 between Junctions 3 and 14, and between Junctions 16 and 24.[9] In August 2011, the Highways Agency announced that, despite being converted to Smart Motorway status, the lights will be switched off on stretches of the motorway between Junctions 10 (Luton) and 15 (Northampton) without affecting road user safety. 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. All lighting columns from Junctions 10 to 14 were removed completely, apart from some on slip roads.[10]

Safety barriers

An increasing official interest in secondary safety was evident in an announcement in March 1973 that work would begin shortly on erecting "tensioned safety barriers" along the central reservation of a 34-mile (55 km) section of the M1 between Kegworth (J24) and Barlborough (J30).[11]

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,[12] the Leeds South Eastern Motorway section of the M1 was re-designated as the M621, and the junctions were given new numbers: M621 Junctions 4 to 7.

London extensions, 1966, 1967 and 1977

Map showing construction dates of sections of the M1

M1 at Junction 4. The old overhead lane control gantries are still visible, which were replaced with newer, verge-mounted MS4 variable message signs in 2008.

The M1 was extended south towards London from its original starting point at Junction 5, 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 (London Gateway Services 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). The M1 then runs south 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 on-ramp to the M1, the right one going over the A1/A41 junction beneath to rejoin the A1 northbound.

Junction 2 is about 2.5 miles (4 km) south of the original Junction 3. Before the completion of Junction 2, southbound traffic left the motorway via a slip road which passed around the back of the now disused Homebase and under the A41/A1 Mill Hill Bypass, and looped round to join it at Fiveways Interchange. This slip road is still visible to southbound traffic approximately 650 yards (590 m) before Junction 2, and was maintained until the early 2000s, even though not accessible to traffic. The northbound slip road from the A1 is now partially used as the entrance way to a retail park and was once carried by bridge, but no longer reaches the northbound carriageway, because 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. Unrealised plans from 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 those plans, although most of the London Ringways Plan had been cancelled by 1973. Around the same time, the section between the then-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 London and Birmingham via the M6. It also provided a link to London Luton Airport for those regions, and its proximity to the site of the Milton Keynes new town (designated in 1967) meant that it was soon providing a vital transport link to another major area.

Recent developments

In 2006, plans were published for the widening of 91 miles (146 km) from Leicester through to Leeds (Junctions 21–42) to four lanes each way.

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.[15] Widening was scaled back to the Junctions 6A to 10 scheme that was already in progress, and from Nottingham and Mansfield (Junctions 25–28), and hard shoulder running was to be used for other sections.

Many later developments, including Smart Motorway schemes, have been made to the M1, and these are detailed below.

Developments

A5-M1 Link (Dunstable Northern Bypass)

A5-M1 Link (Dunstable Northern Bypass)

The route of the Dunstable Northern Bypass proposal and route options for the connecting Luton Northern Bypass.
Location	Central Bedfordshire
Proposer	Highways Agency
Status	Completed (summer 2017)
Type	Road
Cost estimate	£171 million to £217 million
Geometry	KML

The A5-M1 Link (Dunstable Northern Bypass) is a two-lane dual carriageway running east from the A5 north of Dunstable joining the M1 at a new Junction 11a south of Chalton.[16] Here, it is intended to join with a proposed Luton Northern Bypass to form a northern bypass for the wider conurbation. 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. The Highways Agency detrunked the A5 through Dunstable when the A5-M1 Link opened to the public in May 2017.[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. Most of the road opened to traffic in autumn 2016 with the remaining section connecting to junction 11a.[18]

M1/M69 junction

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. During this work the Leicester Forest East services would be closed, and possibly relocated.[19] Consultation took place in 2007.[20][21] As of April 2020, work on this scheme has still not begun.[22]

M1 junction 19 improvement

Following the report of a public inquiry in March 2013, the Secretary of State for Transport announced on 18 July 2013 that work to update the Catthorpe Interchange at junction 19, between the M1 motorway, M6 motorway and A14 road close to Catthorpe[23] would go ahead.[24] Work on the £191 million three-layer interchange started in January 2014[25] and the scheme was fully opened to traffic in December 2016.[26]

M1 widening and variable speed limits, Junctions 6A to 10 (M25 to Luton)

Work began on the 10-mile (16 km) section between the M25 and Luton (Junctions 6A and 10) in 2006 and opened in 2009, which included the construction of new parallel collector-distributor lanes between Junctions 7 and 8.

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. The widening or replacement of eleven underbridges on one or both carriageways, and replacing seven overbridges[27] at a cost of £294 million.[28] A variable mandatory speed limit system was installed, making this the first Smart Motorway scheme on the M1.

M1 dynamic hard shoulder running, Junctions 10 to 13 (Luton to Milton Keynes South)

Work to introduce dynamic hard shoulder running on approximately 15 miles (24 km) of motorway between Luton and Milton Keynes (J10-13) was completed in December 2012, at a total cost of £327 million.[29] This made the hard shoulder available to be opened as a traffic lane where additional capacity was necessary. Modifications were made to Junctions 11 and 12,[30] to allow for four lanes running through each junction, and the A421 road from Junction 13 to the Bedford southern bypass was also upgraded to two lanes each way during this period.[31] The scheme will likely be converted to all lane running at some point in the 2020 decade, alongside all other dynamic hard shoulder running schemes. 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.[32]

M1 widening and variable speed limits, Junctions 25-28 (Nottingham to Mansfield)

Work to widen the 15-mile (24 km) section from Nottingham to Mansfield (J25-J28) to four lanes each way began in January 2008 and was completed in 2010, at a cost of £340 million.[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.[35]

Other proposals

Plans to dual the A421 from Junction 13 to Milton Keynes and to add capacity from Junction 10a on the Luton spur are being developed.[36][37] There are plans to reduce speed between M1 junctions 33 to 34, by Rotherham to 60mph, to reduce levels of nitrogen dioxide. The plans are to be implemented before October 2020 and the trial period is expected to last from 12 to 15 months.[38][39]

Incidents and accidents

• In March 1972, 200 vehicles crashed in thick fog resulting in the deaths of nine people on the M1 north of Luton.[40]
• On 8 January 1989, a Boeing 737 crashed onto the embankment of the M1 whilst attempting an emergency landing at East Midlands Airport in Leicestershire. There were no ground casualties nor vehicular damage on the motorway as a result of the crash, however 47 passengers on board the aircraft were killed and a further 74 passengers and crew members were seriously injured.
• 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.
• On 11 June 2003 three tanks were thrown across the carriageway near Junction 19 near Lutterworth when the transporter carrying them was involved in a crash; five were killed.[41]
• An 18-mile (29 km) stretch of the motorway was closed entirely on the morning of 11 December 2005, following a major explosion and fire at the Buncefield Oil Depot which is less than half a mile (800 m) from the M1.
• In June 2007, the section of M1 between Junctions 32 and 36 was closed for a number of days after the Ulley Reservoir developed cracks after being deluged in the 2007 United Kingdom floods.
• Part of the motorway close to Tinsley Viaduct was closed to allow safe demolition of the Tinsley cooling towers in the early hours of 24 August 2008.[42] The M1 remaining closed for much of the day until the stability of the viaduct was confirmed.
• On 15 April 2011, a seven-mile stretch of the road was closed between Junctions 1 and 4 due to a fire at a scrapyard underneath the motorway.[43] The road was fully re-opened early on 21 April 2011 with a 50 mph speed limit in force whilst repair work continued to an elevated section.[43]
• On 26 August 2017, two lorries and a minibus crashed between junctions 14 and 15, near Newport Pagnell, shutting down the motorway for most of the day. Eight people were killed and three severely injured. The drivers of the lorries were charged with dangerous driving, with one also charged with drunk driving.[44] The incident represented the largest loss of life as the result of a motorway accident since a crash on the M40 in 1993.[45]

Junctions

M1 motorway junctions
mile	km	Southbound exits (B carriageway)	Junction	Northbound exits (A carriageway)	Coordinates
7.0	11.3	North Circular (West), Brent Cross, Wembley, Hanger Lane, (A406 West)	J1 Southern terminus	Start of motorway	51.57515°N 0.23471°W
9.1 9.2	14.6 14.8	Central London (The City), Holloway North Circular (A406)(E) A1	J2	No access	51.60399°N 0.23977°W
12.0	19.3	London Gateway services	Services	London Gateway services	51.63513°N 0.26610°W
13.2 13.5	21.3 21.8	Harrow, Edgware A41	J4	No access	51.63612°N 0.30468°W
17.1 17.5	27.5 28.1	A41 Watford A4008	J5	(M25 West) Aylesbury A41 Watford A4008	51.67162°N 0.36894°W
19.7 20.0	31.7 32.2	North Watford A405	J6	(M25 East) St Albans A405	51.70602°N 0.38182°W
20.4 20.8	32.9 33.5	M25 Stansted , Dartford, (M11, M20) Heathrow , (M40, M4)	J6a M25 interchange	No access	51.71831°N 0.38607°W
22.5 22.7	36.2 36.6	St Albans, Hatfield A414	J7	No access	51.74930°N 0.40928°W
23.5 23.8	37.8 38.3	Hemel Hempstead A414	J8	Hemel Hempstead A414	51.75695°N 0.41641°W
27.9 28.3	44.9 45.6	St Albans (N) A5183	J9	Redbourn A5183	51.82000°N 0.41714°W
30.3 30.6	48.8 49.2	Luton (S) & Airport A1081	J10	Luton (S) & Airport A1081	51.85397°N 0.42370°W
33.7 34.0	54.3 54.7	Luton (C), Dunstable (C) A505	J11	Luton (C), Dunstable (C) A505	51.89347°N 0.46988°W
		Aylesbury A5, (A505) Dunstable (N), Luton A5505	J11A	Aylesbury A5, (A505) Dunstable (N), Luton A5505	51.92156°N 0.49122°W
38.9	62.6	Toddington services	Services	Toddington services	51.94778°N 0.50275°W
38.5 38.9	62.0 62.6	Flitwick, Westoning A5120	J12	Flitwick, Westoning A5120	51.95744°N 0.51606°W
		Steppingley A507	J12A	Steppingley A507
45.2 45.4	72.7 73.1	Bedford A421 Woburn, Ampthill A507	J13	Bedford, Milton Keynes (South) A421	52.02657°N 0.60360°W
49.7 50.2	80.0 80.8	Milton Keynes, Newport Pagnell A509	J14	Milton Keynes, Newport Pagnell A509	52.05877°N 0.70012°W
53.7	86.5	Newport Pagnell services	Services	Newport Pagnell services	52.08330°N 0.74853°W
61.8 62.3	99.4 100.2	Northampton, Wellingborough A45 Kettering (A43)	J15	Northampton, Wellingborough A45	52.18588°N 0.89551°W
64.3 64.9	103.5 104.5	Oxford A43 (M40) Northampton services	J15a Services	Oxford (M40) Northampton (W) A43 Northampton Services	52.20961°N 0.94435°W
67.9 68.3	109.2 109.9	Northampton (W) A4500	J16	Daventry A45	52.23030°N 1.01598°W
75.1	120.8	Watford Gap services	Services	Watford Gap services	52.30696°N 1.12202°W
76.6 76.9	123.3 123.8	No access	J17	Coventry (S) M45	52.32464°N 1.14069°W
78.5 78.9	126.3 126.9	Daventry A428 (A361) DIRFT	J18	Hinckley A5 Rugby, DIRFT (A428)	52.35089°N 1.15455°W
82.3 82.7	132.4 133.1	Felixstowe, Kettering A14	J19 M6/A14 interchange	The North West Coventry, Birmingham M6	52.40522°N 1.17704°W
85.5 86.1	137.6 138.5	Lutterworth A4303 Rugby (A426)	J20	Lutterworth A4303 Market Harborough A4304	52.45015°N 1.19146°W
96.1 96.6	154.6 155.4	Coventry, Birmingham M69 (M6) Leicester A5460	J21	Coventry M69 Leicester A5460	52.60041°N 1.19498°W
97.7	157.2	Leicester Forest East services	Services	Leicester Forest East services	52.61920°N 1.20579°W
99.3 99.5	159.8 160.1	No access	J21a	Leicester (N), Newark A46	52.63577°N 1.21798°W
104.3 104.7	167.8 168.5	Leicester A50, Coalville A511	J22	Ashby, Coalville A511	52.69592°N 1.29240°W
108.8 109.2	175.1 175.8	Loughborough, Shepshed A512	J23	Loughborough, Shepshed A512	52.76032°N 1.27394°W
113.4 113.6	182.5 182.8	The South West, Tamworth, Birmingham, A42 (M42)	J23a Services	East Midlands A453 Donington services	52.81929°N 1.30544°W
114.9 115.4	184.9 185.7	Nottingham, East Midlands A453 Donington services	J24	Stoke A50 Derby (A6) Nottingham (S) A453	52.84397°N 1.29570°W
115.8 116.2	186.3 187.0	Stoke A50 Derby (A6)	J24a	No access	52.85796°N 1.30106°W
120.0 120.5	193.2 193.9	Nottingham, Derby A52	J25	Derby, Nottingham A52	52.91589°N 1.29969°W
124.1	199.8	Trowell services	Services	Trowell services	52.96216°N 1.26725°W
126.0 126.6	202.8 203.7	Nottingham A610	J26	Ripley, Nottingham A610	52.98991°N 1.23455°W
131.5 132.0	211.7 212.4	Heanor, Hucknall A608	J27	Mansfield A608	53.06342°N 1.26909°W
135.0 135.5	217.2 218.0	Derby A38 Matlock (A615)	J28	Mansfield A38 Matlock (A615)	53.10129°N 1.32398°W
138.3	222.5	Tibshelf services	Services	Tibshelf services	53.13848°N 1.33093°W
141.7 142.3	228.1 229.0	Mansfield A617 Matlock (A632)	J29	Chesterfield A617	53.19773°N 1.32287°W
		Markham Vale A6192 Bolsover (A632)	J29a	Markham Vale A6192 Bolsover (A632)	53.24647°N 1.33111°W
148.4 148.8	238.9 239.5	Chesterfield (A619) Newark A616	J30	Sheffield (S) A6135 Worksop (A619)	53.28651°N 1.29604°W
151.3	243.5	Woodall services	Services	Woodall services	53.31552°N 1.28214°W
153.8 154.2	247.5 248.2	Worksop A57	J31	Sheffield (SE), Rotherham (S) A57	53.36221°N 1.28347°W
156.3 156.6	251.6 252.1	The North, Doncaster, Hull M18	J32 M18 interchange	The North, Doncaster, Hull, Rotherham (E) M18	53.39160°N 1.28231°W
158.8 159.2	255.6 256.2	Sheffield (C), Rotherham (C) A630	J33	Sheffield (C), Rotherham (C) A630	53.39848°N 1.34977°W
161.5 161.7	259.9 260.3	Sheffield (E), Rotherham (C), Meadowhall A6109:	J34	Sheffield (E), Rotherham (C), Meadowhall A6178:	53.41754°N 1.40634°W
164.9 165.4	265.4 266.2	Rotherham (N) A629	J35	Rotherham (N) A629	53.45581°N 1.44539°W
166.7 166.9	268.2 268.6	No access	J35a	Manchester A616	53.47525°N 1.45891°W
168.0 168.5	270.3 271.2	Sheffield (N), Barnsley A61	J36	Barnsley (S) A61	53.49632°N 1.47547°W
172.1 172.6	276.9 277.8	Barnsley, Manchester A628	J37	Manchester, Barnsley A628	53.54872°N 1.51568°W
176.4 176.9	283.9 284.7	Huddersfield A637	J38	Huddersfield A637	53.60297°N 1.55092°W
178.5	287.2	Woolley Edge services	Services	Woolley Edge services	53.62161°N 1.54821°W
179.9 180.4	289.5 290.4	Denby Dale A636	J39	Wakefield A636	53.65064°N 1.52869°W
182.6 183.0	293.8 294.5	Wakefield, Dewsbury A638	J40	Dewsbury, Wakefield A638	53.68357°N 1.55508°W
185.1 185.6	297.9 298.7	Wakefield, Morley A650	J41	Wakefield A650	53.71556°N 1.53534°W
186.5 187.0	300.1 301.0	Hull, Pontefract, Manchester, Bradford M62	J42 M62 interchange	Manchester, Bradford, Leeds Bradford Hull M62	53.73087°N 1.51195°W
188.4 189.0	303.2 304.1	No access	J43	Leeds M621	53.75460°N 1.51461°W
189.4 189.9	304.8 305.6	Leeds A639 (M621)	J44	Leeds (S) A639	53.76256°N 1.49139°W
190.8 191.2	307.1 307.7	Leeds A63 Leeds Skelton Lake services	J45	Leeds (SE) A63 Leeds Skelton Lake services	53.77613°N 1.47041°W
193.7 194.0	311.7 312.2	Leeds (E) A6120	J46	Leeds (E), Leeds/Bradford A6120 Selby A63	53.79198°N 1.42646°W
196.6 197.0	316.4 317.1	Castleford A656 Garforth A642	J47	Garforth A642 The South (A1(M))	53.80557°N 1.36149°W
197.7	318.1	Start of motorway	A1(M), J43 Northern terminus	The North, Wetherby A1(M) York (A64)	53.82178°N 1.33866°W
Notes Data from driver location signs/distance marker posts are used to provide distance and carriageway identification information. Where a junction spans several hundred metres and the data is available, both the start and finish values for the junction are shown. Coordinate data from ACME Mapper.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Incomplete access

See also

• List of motorways in the United Kingdom

References

1. "Driving directions to M1". Google. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
2. "Motorway archive". The Motorway Archive. Institute of Highways and Transportation. Archived from the original on 4 November 2002. Retrieved 20 January 2008.
3. "Key facts about England's motorways and trunk roads". Highways Agency. Archived from the original on 12 December 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2008.
4. Bridle, Ron; Baldwin, Peter; Baldwin, Robert (2004). The motorway achievement volume 1. p. 57. ISBN 978-0-7277-3196-8.
5. Chris Marshall. "Motorway Database – M1". CBRD. Retrieved 31 October 2009.
6. "Tri-tandem roller 45655 of 1930". The Robey Trust. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011.
7. "The Slab". Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2008.
8. "list of material held by Northamptonshire CC". Motorway archive. Archived from the original on 26 January 2008. Retrieved 20 January 2008.
9. "News: Motorway lighting". Autocar. 137 nbr 3978: 19. 13 July 1972.
10. "HA press release M1 J10-13 lighting". Nds.coi.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
11. "Motorweek: More M1 barriers". Motor. nbr 3677: 40. 31 March 1973.
12. "A1(M) Bramham to Wetherby – One Year After Study" (PDF). Highways Agency. p. 8. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
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14. "Campaigners outraged at escalating costs of road widening". The Ecologist.
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16. "A5-M1 Link (Dunstable Northern Bypass)". Archived from the original on 4 November 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
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20. "M1/M69 Public Consultation Information – what happens now". Highways Agency. Archived from the original on 5 June 2009. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
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22. https://www.roads.org.uk/motorway/m69/10
23. "M1 Jct 19". Archived from the original on 16 March 2008. Retrieved 28 February 2008.
24. "Press release:Go ahead for two new road schemes in the Midlands". Department for Transport. 18 July 2013. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
25. "Catthorpe: £191 million M1/M6/A14 junction improvement work to begin". Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
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27. "M1 Jct 6a to 10 Widening". Highways Agency. Archived from the original on 16 September 2009.
28. "9 Mar 2009 : Column 10W—continued". Hansard.
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External links

• Highways Agency
• CBRD Motorway Database – M1
• The Motorway Archive:
  • Hendon to Crick
  • Crick to Doncaster
  • Aston to Leeds
  • M1/M18
  • M1 extension to A1(M)
• BBC website The Backbone of Britain contains link to a video of 2'42" in length
• Major Road Ahead by the John Laing Film Unit, showing construction of the first section