Skip to main content

New UK motorway link under construction

Construction of a new junction on the M1 near Dunstable in Bedfordshire is starting in the UK. The new junction, junction 11A, is located just to the south of Toddington services and forms part of a new €225 million link road between the A5 and the M1 that will help to unlock growth and reduce congestion in the area. Work on the link road began in March.
June 18, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
The new link will cut congestion
Construction of a new junction on the M1 near Dunstable in Bedfordshire is starting in the UK. The new junction, junction 11A, is located just to the south of Toddington services and forms part of a new €225 million link road between the A5 and the M1 that will help to unlock growth and reduce congestion in the area. Work on the link road began in March.

8100 Highways England project manager Karen Green said, “This junction is a vital part of this significant road improvement. The new link road will be a major new bypass for Dunstable, reducing congestion and improving safety on the A5, and reducing pressure on the A5 through Dunstable town centre. Work on the project is progressing well.

“To build the junction we will need roadworks on the M1 between junctions 11 and 12, but we are working closely with our contractor and local partners to ensure disruption to road users during this work is kept to a minimum.”

Roads minister Andrew Jones said, “As part of our long-term economic plan we’re committed to the biggest investment in roads in a generation.

“It’s vital we use our transport infrastructure to create jobs and make it easier for people to see their family and friends. The £2 billion (€2.8 billion) we are investing in the East of England will ease congestion and make journeys quicker across the region.”

Once completed in spring 2017, the link road, a new 4.5km dual carriageway, will improve the east-west connection between the A5 and M1. While the new junction is being built, lane 3 on the M1 will be closed between junctions 11 and 12 in both directions. Three lanes will remain open, with traffic running on the hard shoulder and lanes 1 and 2. The roadworks, including safety barriers, signs, CCTV and average speed cameras, will stay in place throughout the junction construction work, which will be carried out in phases and should be finished in spring 2017 as the scheme nears completion.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Indian highways road construction
    April 16, 2012
    Superlatives, once applied only to China's phenomenal growth, are now being used for India. Patrick Smith reports Those involved with the Naini Bridge in Allahabad are so proud of the result that they have set up an exhibition centre detailing its construction.
  • Action call for ''Britain's worn-our road markings''
    March 2, 2012
    Nearly a third of the length of Britain's single carriageway A roads have white lines so worn out that they do not meet recognised standards, according to the LifeLines Report, an assessment of more than 2,400km miles of the network.
  • The Highways Agency aims to address workzone crashes
    April 10, 2013
    The UK’s Highways Agency is telling drivers to take extra care and to stick speed limits at roadworks, to prevent deaths and injuries among both road users and road workers. Eight road workers have been killed in the last three years while improving and maintaining the strategic road network in England. In addition there are many near misses, with members of the public driving through coned off areas or colliding with works vehicles. The UK Government is investing additional funding in road improvements acr
  • Expectations for growth of UAE infrastucture
    February 9, 2012
    The INTERMAT Middle East event is being launched at a pivotal time of major infrastructure development in the region. As with most sectors, the highways industry has not had a fantastic 18 months in the Gulf. Not only has the recession impacted the delivery of projects across the board, GCC Governments' attention have been switching increasingly to rail, as plans to roll out a Gulf-wide rail system gather steam. GCC countries will invest over US$119.6 billion in infrastructure projects over the next decade