Skip to main content

Britain's M1 motorway re-opens after extensive fire

One of Britain's major motorways, the M1, is now able to carry traffic in both directions between junctions 1 and 4 near London, following extensive investigation, assessment, and structural reinforcement which has taken place non-stop since Friday, 15 April.
March 1, 2012 Read time: 1 min
A UK highways Agency photograph showing the metal support structure below the M1 after the fire damage. (David Townend Photography)
One of Britain's major motorways, the M1, is now able to carry traffic in both directions between junctions 1 and 4 near London, following extensive investigation, assessment, and structural reinforcement which has taken place non-stop since Friday, 15 April.

Construction work on the bridge support, and investigations to determine what remedial work needs to be carried out following extensive fire damage in a business under an elevated section of the motorway, are ongoing.

Two lanes in each direction have been re-opened on the motorway, which links the capital with Leeds in northern England. An 11km section of the route was closed following the fire.

Drivers are still advised to check before travelling, and consider alternative routes or means of travel to their destinations as there may still be some congestion due to the reduced capacity of the road.

Related Content

  • Improving safety for cyclists
    November 29, 2013
    New systems in development for protecting vulnerable road users - Mike Woof writes In many European countries the number of people using bicycles for commuting are increasing. This is being actively encouraged by city authorities as it offers an effective way to reduce traffic congestion, lower exhaust emissions and also improve public health. The Netherlands and Denmark have long had high percentages of commuters opting to use bicycles and other European countries are looking to capitalise on the experienc
  • New Argentina highway construction work
    January 11, 2019
    Construction is underway for Argentina’s new Mendoza-San Juan Highway – Mauro Nogarin reports The rehabilitation and maintenance works of more than 3,300km of routes is now underway in Argentina. This followed on after the takeover of six new road corridors under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, which took place in August 2018. The rehabilitation and maintenance works are being carried out prior to the start of the main projects, which will include the construction of highways. Building these
  • Improving safety for cyclists
    November 15, 2013
    New systems in development for protecting vulnerable road users - Mike Woof writes In many European countries the number of people using bicycles for commuting are increasing. This is being actively encouraged by city authorities as it offers an effective way to reduce traffic congestion, lower exhaust emissions and also improve public health. The Netherlands and Denmark have long had high percentages of commuters opting to use bicycles and other European countries are looking to capitalise on the experienc
  • New Central Ring Road around Moscow to be built by 2018
    September 30, 2013
    Eugene Gerden evaluates Moscow’s new ring road mega project The Russian government plans to complete implementation of one of the most ambitious projects in the country’s road building industry in recent years, which involves construction of The Central Ring Road around Moscow by 2018. The new road should be built by the next presidential elections, while its length will be 339km. It is expected to be comprised of five sections and will be located 50km away from Moscow Ring Road, a ring road encircling the