M1 Widening M25-Luton
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Scheme Outline
On-line widening of the M1 between junctions 6a and 10 to dual-four lane motorway standard. Proposals that the new lane would be designated a HOV lane, for the use of vehicles carrying more than one person, have now been dropped as the Highways Agency considered it unsafe and the local police force refused to enforce it.
The scheme will also provide parallel lanes for the A414 between junctions 7 and 8, and the downgrading of the M10 to become part of the A414. Junction improvements will be carried out at junctions 8 and 10. As junction 7 will effectively be removed from the motorway mainline, it would be possible to renumber junction 6A to 7, but this has not yet been decided.
Project Statistics
- Cost
- £289m (was £241m)
- Finance
- Highways Agency
- Estimated completion of works
- 2005-2008
- Length of works
- 10 miles
Progress
- November 2005
- First phase of preparation work begins alongside the motorway.
- March 2006
- Work is now officially underway, as of 20 March.
- June 2007
- Overnight closures of the M1 are now taking place to allow the demolition of some of the historic bridges.
- October 2007
- Gantries being erected at regular intervals along the widened motorway confirm that the route will have Variable Speed Limits, and probably, Active Traffic Management.
- May 2008
- The section from junction 9 to 10 is now open to traffic with four lanes in each direction. The Highways Agency expects the rest of the works to be complete by December.
If you know more
If you have more details on this scheme - a correction to the information shown here or an update on the progress of works - please click here and share your knowledge.
With thanks to Andrew Temperley, Sam Chew, David Bass, John Morgan and Gerry McKenna for information on this page.
