Highways England has a £191 million scheme that should improve journeys for drivers that use the major interchange on the M1 in the Midlands. The scheme was finished, with the opening held on the 16th March. The major works required on the road include upgrades that will improve the flow of traffic at junction 19. At this junction, the M1, M6 and A14 meet, so improvements that could reduce the congestion will significantly improve the journeys of the road users in this area.
It is thought that more than 150,000 vehicles use this area every day and will benefit from the improvements made to this section of road. For the motorist using this section, the completion of the new scheme means that drivers will not have to navigate the junction for the M6 and A14. There are also free flow links between A14 and the M1. Further work by this scheme means that the M1 northbound and the M6 westbound link as well as the M6 eastbound to M1 southbound link are open for divers to use. There is also a new local link road that can reconnect the villages of Catthorpe and Swinford, the A5 is also open to traffic.
The scheme in the Midlands has been delivered on time and on budget. The improvements mean that journeys will become safer as well as shorter while also allowing more vehicles to pass through this area with lower levels of congestion. The layout of the road where these roads meet is as follows: the east-west link between Catthorpe and Swinford now runs beneath the M1 and M6 link, with the villages being connected to these roads via the A5. This scheme has meant that for the first time in more than 20 years the local traffic with pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders are separate from long distance traffic and HGVs.
