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A 1970s motorway built to whiz traffic from London to the newly developed Stansted airport. An additional two-lane section was built north of there to get traffic to Cambridge, then onto what is now the A14 and then onto the A1.
Short-sighted planning gave the Stansted junction, where the M11 loses a lane, a normal roundabout interchange. Free-flowing links into the airport's road system have now been built at great expense and things are now flowing smoothly at long last.
Three junctions are missing from the start of the motorway - this would have been the link further into London to reach Ringway 1, a proposed inner ring motorway for London. This link was built to different designs in the 1990s as the A12 between the A406 and Hackney Wick.
The best thing that could happen to the M11 now would be an extension to meet the A1, to relieve the choked A14 section between Cambridge and Huntingdon, and close a gap in the motorway network.
Factfile
| Start | London (A406) |
|---|---|
| Finish | Cambridge (A14) |
| Passes | Harlow, Stansted ![]() |
| Length | 51 miles |
| Terminates | A120 |
| Spurs | None |
| Meets | M25 |
Images
Views of the M11 from on and off the road. If you have a photo to contribute, contact me.
Travelling northbound from the M25, three lanes carry us north towards Stansted and Cambridge.
Photo by Marek
Construction Timeline
When the various parts of the M11 were built, listed in chronological order.
| Open | Jct | Section |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | J7-8 | Harlow → Stansted |
| 1977 | J4-7 | Redbridge → Harlow |
| 1979 | J8-9 | Stansted → Stump Cross |
| 1980 | J9-14 | Cambridge Western Bypass |
Exit List
All the junctions and destinations along the route.
With thanks to Clive Jones, Ian Cowley, Tom, Jessica Carter, John Griffiths, Neale Richell and Chris Williams for information in this section.














4 miles, 2 lanes





Birchanger Green














