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70-580: A steamroller (or steam roller ) is a form of road roller – a type of heavy construction machinery used for leveling surfaces, such as roads or airfields – that is powered by a steam engine . The leveling/flattening action is achieved through a combination of the size and weight of the vehicle and the rolls : the smooth wheels and the large cylinder or drum fitted in place of treaded road wheels. The majority of steam rollers are outwardly similar to traction engines as many traction engine manufacturers later produced rollers based on their existing designs, and

140-585: A 34-mile (55 km) section of the M1 between Kegworth (J24) and Barlborough (J30). Between 1996 and 1999, the M1 section north of the M62 underwent a major reconstruction and extension to take the M1 on a new route to the A1(M) at Aberford . The new road involved the construction of a series of new junctions, bridges and viaducts to the east of Leeds. When the new section of M1 was completed and opened on 4 February 1999,

210-441: A bar mounted on the back of the roller. This was not a common fixture. Britain was a major exporter of steam rollers over the years, with the firm of Aveling and Porter probably being the most famous and the most prolific. Many other traction engine manufacturers built steam rollers, but after Aveling and Porter, the most popular were Marshall, Sons & Co. , John Fowler & Co. , and Wallis & Steevens . In America,

280-500: A girder frame with rolls and a chain drive to produce a quick-reversing roller suitable for modern road surfaces such as tarmacadam and bituminous asphalt . A number of Robey & Co. tandem rollers were modified to make a further variant, the tri-tandem, which was a tandem with a third roll, mounted directly behind the rear one. Robey supplied the parts, but the modification was undertaken by Goodes of Royston. Ten tandem and two tri-tandem Robey rollers survive in preservation, and one of

350-552: A grader and a water truck to achieve the desired flat surface with the correct moisture content for optimum compaction. Once the road base is compacted, the smooth single drum compactor is no longer used on the road surface (there is an exception if the single drum has special flat-wide-base tyres on the machine). The final wear course of asphalt concrete (known as asphalt or blacktop in North America, or macadam in England )

420-583: A more northerly route through the East Midlands , via Leicester , Loughborough , Nottingham to Sheffield , where the M18 splits from the M1 at junction 32 to head to Doncaster . Originally, the M1 was planned to end at Doncaster but it was decided to make what was going to be the " Leeds and Sheffield Spur" into the primary route, with the 11-mile (18 km) section to the A1(M) south of Doncaster given

490-572: A national institution in Great Britain for the conservation of steam rollers and traction engines. The first engine he restored to working order was an Aveling & Porter steam roller, registration no. DM3079. Built in 1912, it was a 10-ton slide-valve, single-cylinder, 4-shaft, road roller. Originally named "Allison", after his first wife, Fred renamed the engine "Betsy" (his mother's name) following his divorce – Fred's view being "wives may change but your mother remains your mother!" This roller

560-515: A project that "should be" completed by 1973. Sections to be illuminated included the M1 between junctions 3 and 14, and between junctions 16 and 24. In August 2011, the Highways Agency announced that, despite being converted to Smart Motorway status, the lights will be switched off on stretches of the motorway between junctions 10 (Luton) and 15 (Northampton) without affecting road user safety. The motorway junctions and their approaches, and

630-570: A proposed ring of urban motorway around the central area. The layout of the Staples Corner junction was originally built in accordance with those plans, although most of the London Ringways Plan had been cancelled by 1973. Around the same time, the section between the then-M10 and junction 5 was widened from the original two lanes to three. On its completion, the M1 acted as a fast link road between London and Birmingham via

700-473: A section of the M1 on either side of junction 11 (north Luton), would have lighting columns replaced and remain lit. All lighting columns from junctions 10 to 14 were removed completely, apart from some on slip roads. An increasing official interest in secondary safety was evident in an announcement in March 1973 that work would begin shortly on erecting "tensioned safety barriers" along the central reservation of

770-1047: A smooth surface. The pads aid in compression, due to the smaller area contacting the ground. The roller can be a simple drum with a handle that is operated by one person and weighs 45 kilograms (100 lb) or as large as a ride-on road roller weighing 20 tonnes (20 long tons; 22 short tons) and costing more than US$ 150,000. A landfill unit may weigh 54 tonnes (53 long tons; 60 short tons). Drums are available in widths ranging from 610 to 2,130 millimetres (24 to 84 in). Tyre rollers are available in widths ranging up to 2.7 metres (8.9 ft), with between 7 and 11 wheels (e.g. 3 wheels at front, 4 at back): 7 and 8 wheel types are normally used in Europe and Africa; 9 and 11 in America; and any type in Asia. Very heavy tyre rollers are used to compact soil. KEY: M1 motorway The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds , where it joins

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840-475: A total cost of £294 million. A variable mandatory speed limit system was installed, making this the first smart motorway scheme on the M1. Work to introduce dynamic hard shoulder running on approximately 15 miles (24 km) of motorway between Luton and Milton Keynes (J10-J13) was completed in December 2012, at a total cost of £327 million. This made the hard shoulder available to be opened as

910-545: A traffic lane where additional capacity was necessary. Modifications were made to junctions 11 and 12, to allow for four lanes running through each junction, and the A421 from junction 13 to the Bedford southern bypass was also upgraded to two lanes each way during this period. The scheme will likely be converted to all lane running at some point in the 2020 decade, alongside all other dynamic hard shoulder running schemes. This

980-469: A vibrating roller. The double cylinder or compound steam rollers became popular from around 1910 onwards and were used mainly for the rolling of hot-laid surfaces due to their smoother running engines, but both cylinder types are capable of rolling the finished surface. Steam rollers were often dedicated to a task by their gearing as the slower engines were for base compaction whereas the higher geared models were often referred to as "chip chasers" which followed

1050-522: Is a proposal to widen the M1 to dual four-lane or dual five-lane between junctions 21 and 21a and construct a new link road between the M1 and the M69 . During this work the Leicester Forest East services would be closed, and possibly relocated. Consultation took place in 2007. As of May 2022 , work on this scheme has still not begun. Following the report of a public inquiry in March 2013,

1120-442: Is laid using a paver and compacted using a tandem smooth drum roller, a three-point roller or a pneumatic tyre roller. Three point rollers on asphalt were once common and are still used, but tandem vibrating rollers are the usual choice now. The pneumatic tyre roller's kneading action is the final roller to seal the surface. Rollers are also used in landfill compaction. Such compactors typically have padfoot drums, and do not achieve

1190-480: Is still visible to southbound traffic approximately 650 yards (590 m) before junction 2, and was maintained until the early 2000s, even though not accessible to traffic. The northbound slip road from the A1 is now partially used as the entrance way to a retail park and was once carried by bridge, but no longer reaches the northbound carriageway, because it is cut off by the motorway continuing south. The final section of

1260-526: Is the name of the popular Croatian and Yugoslav rock band, and the group has used the name Steam Roller on their English language releases. Two different steamrollers appear as prominent characters in the Thomas & Friends television series; George and Buster, both of whom are based on the Aveling-Barford R class design. British steeplejack and engineering enthusiast Fred Dibnah was known as

1330-539: The Discworld franchise without him. Accordingly, Pratchett's assistant Rob Wilkins brought Pratchett's computer hard drive to the Great Dorset Steam Fair , where a steamroller was driven over it. The steamroller has a strong symbolism of an irresistible, onward-pushing force. The Imperial Russian Army was nicknamed "steamroller" during World War One , as it was huge in size, and Russia initiated

1400-561: The A1(M) near Aberford , to connect to Newcastle . It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the country was the Preston Bypass , which later became part of the M6 . The motorway is 193 miles (311 km) long and was constructed in four phases. Most of the motorway was opened between 1959 and 1968. The southern end was extended in 1977 and

1470-559: The Buffalo-Springfield Roller Company was a large builder. J. I. Case made a roller variant of their farm engines, but had a small market share. Other nations had makers including the Czechs, Swiss, Swedes, Germans (notably Kemna ) and Dutch which produced steam rollers. In the UK, a number of companies owned fleets of steam rollers and contracted them out to local authorities. Many were still in use into

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1540-562: The 1950s, the country's first motorways were given the government go-ahead. The first section of motorway was the Preston Bypass in Lancashire , now part of the M6 motorway , which opened in 1958. The M1 was Britain's first full-length motorway and opened in 1959. The early M1 had no speed limits , crash barriers , or lighting, and had soft shoulders rather than hard. As there was then little traffic, London musicians such as

1610-501: The 1960s, and part of the M1 motorway was made using steam rollers. A few steam rollers were being used for road maintenance in the early 1970s, and this may go some way to explaining why diesel-powered rollers are still colloquially known as steam rollers today. Many steam rollers are preserved in working order, and can be seen in operation during special live steam festivals, where operating scale models may also be displayed. At some of

1680-719: The A1) and the M45 (from junction 17 to the A45 and Coventry ). Parts of the Hertfordshire section were built using steam rollers . The M1 was officially inaugurated from Slip End (close to Luton), celebrated by a large concrete slab on the bridge next to the village, with inscription "London-Yorkshire Motorway – This slab was sealed by the Harold Watkinson M.P. – Minister of Transport – Inauguration Day – 24th March 1958". It

1750-701: The A421 between M1 junction 13 and the A1 near St Neots, proposals were made to widen the A421 between the M1 junction 13 in Bedfordshire and the Kingston roundabout in Milton Keynes. Exhibitions were held in June 2005 which rejected proposals to re-route the road in favour of widening the current road. In 2005, the project was given an estimated total cost of £33   million. Funding of £23.5   million

1820-869: The A5 (now renumbered here as the A5183 ) and, 2 miles (3.2 km) to the east via the A414, the A6 , which subsequently became part of the M25. A £1.5 million contract was given in May 1958 for the most southerly section, from Aldenham to Beechtrees (the M10 junction), for two lanes of reinforced concrete , to open in November 1959. There was immense flooding on this section in July 1958. Although

1890-490: The A5 north of Dunstable joining the M1 at a new junction 11a south of Chalton. Here, it is intended to join with a proposed Luton Northern Bypass to form a northern bypass for the wider conurbation. The A5-M1 Link aims to alleviate traffic congestion in Houghton Regis and Dunstable, reduce journey times for long-distance traffic travelling through Dunstable and improve the regional economy. The Highways Agency detrunked

1960-555: The A5 through Dunstable when the A5-M1 Link opened to the public in May 2017. As part of the Dunstable Town Centre Masterplan, Central Bedfordshire Council built the 2.9 km (1.8 miles) Woodside Link to connect the new junction 11a to the industrial areas of Dunstable and Houghton Regis. Most of the road opened to traffic in autumn 2016 with the remaining section connecting to junction 11a. There

2030-546: The British municipal road authorities it was transferred to Kolkata where it continued to work. The company Aveling and Porter was the first to successfully sell the product commercially and subsequently became the largest manufacturer in Britain. In 1866 they produced a prototype roller with 3-foot wide (90 cm) rollers fitted to the rear of a standard 12 nominal-horsepower - traction engine . This experimental machine

2100-663: The Leeds South Eastern Motorway section of the M1 was re-designated as the M621, and the junctions were given new numbers: M621 junctions 4 to 7. The M1 was extended south towards London from its original starting point at junction 5, in three stages. The first stage, opened in 1966, took the motorway south-east, parallel to the A41 , to meet the A5 at junction 4 south of Elstree . The second phase continued east to Scratchwood ( London Gateway Services , which occupies

2170-615: The M1 was opened to junction 1 at Staples Corner in 1977. There the motorway meets the North Circular Road (A406) at a grade separated junction and roundabout. Unrealised plans from the 1960s would have seen the motorway continue through the junction on an elevated roadway to end at West Hampstead , where it would have met the North Cross Route , the northern section of the London Motorway Box ,

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2240-550: The M1, the right one going over the A1/A41 junction beneath to rejoin the A1 northbound. Junction 2 is about 2.5 miles (4 km) south of the original junction 3. Before the completion of junction 2, southbound traffic left the motorway via a slip road which passed around the back of the now disused Homebase and under the A41/A1 Mill Hill Bypass, and looped round to join it at Fiveways Interchange. This slip road

2310-466: The M6. It also provided a link to London Luton Airport for those regions, and its proximity to the site of the new town of Milton Keynes (designated in 1967) meant that it was soon providing a vital transport link to another major area. In 2006, plans were published for the widening of 91 miles (146 km) from Leicester through to Leeds (junctions 21–42) to four lanes each way. Escalating costs across

2380-605: The Rolling Stones were known to speed up to take advantage of the Watford Gap Motorway Services Area , open 24 hours at a time when pubs closed at 11 p.m. The first section of the motorway, between junction 5 ( Watford ) and junction 18 ( Crick / Rugby ), opened on 2 November 1959, together with the motorway's two spurs, the M10 (from junction 7 to south of St Albans originally connecting to

2450-609: The Secretary of State for Transport announced on 18 July 2013 that work to update the Catthorpe Interchange at junction 19, between the M1 motorway, M6 motorway and A14 road , close to Catthorpe , would go ahead. Work on the £191   million three-layer interchange started in January 2014. The scheme was fully opened to traffic in December 2016. In conjunction with the M1 widening schemes and dualling of

2520-626: The UK steam fairs and rallies , demonstrations of road building using the old techniques, tools and machines are re-enacted by 'Road Gangs' in authentic dress. Steam rollers feature prominently in these demonstrations. The annual Great Dorset Steam Fair has a section dedicated to road-making machinery, including a line-up of working steam rollers. A number of steamrollers ended their working lives in children's playgrounds to provide something for children to play on. Two popular American bands were named after steamrollers, Buffalo Springfield and Mannheim Steamroller . Parni Valjak (trans. Steamroller )

2590-574: The east of Leeds. With the M62 and M621 , the M1 forms a ring of motorways around the south of Leeds. In 1972, an extension of the M1 was opened into central Leeds as the Leeds South Eastern Motorway, where it met the Leeds South Western Motorway (M621) coming north-east from the M62 at junction 3. In July 1972, the then UK Minister for Transport Industries, John Peyton , announced that 86 miles (138 km) of UK motorway particularly prone to fog would benefit from lighting in

2660-411: The effectiveness of a roller depends to a large extent on its weight, self-powered vehicles replaced horse-drawn rollers from the mid-19th century. The first such vehicles were steam rollers . Single-cylinder steam rollers were generally used for base compaction and run with high engine revs with low gearing to promote bounce and vibration from the crankshaft through to the rolls in much the same way as

2730-623: The existing 23-mile (37 km) section of the M1 between Milton Keynes and Northampton (J13-J16) into an all-lane-running (ALR) smart motorway consisting of four lanes running in both directions without a hard shoulder, with the project's cost being £373   million. Construction began in January 2018, with the scheme opening in stages until 9 March 2023, when the project was fully complete. The speed limit between M1 junctions 33 to 34, near Rotherham, has been reduced to 60 mph, to reduce levels of nitrogen dioxide . The plans were to be implemented before October 2020, and as of August 2023

2800-561: The first decade of the 20th century. Production ended around 1950. The majority of rollers were of the same basic 3-roll configuration, gear-driven, with two large smooth wheels (rolls) at the back and a single wide roll at the front (in actuality, the wide roll usually consisted of two narrower rolls on the same axle, to make steering easier). However, there was also a distinctive variant, the "tandem", which had two wide rolls, one front, one rear. Those made by Robey & Co used their standard steam wagon engine and pistol boiler fitted in

2870-413: The flexibility of the tyres provides a kneading action that seals the surface and with some vertical movement of the wheels, enables the roller to operate effectively on uneven ground. Once the soil base is flat the pad drum compactor is no longer used on the road surface. The next course (road base) is compacted using a smooth single drum, smooth tandem roller, or pneumatic tyre roller in combination with

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2940-409: The front of a steam roller. It also necessitates a different design of smokebox door – it has to hinge up or down, rather than opening sideways, due to the limited access available. Access to the boiler tubes for cleaning is limited and the brush usually has to be inserted through the small gap between the top of the roll and the fork. The front and rear rolls were usually fitted with scraper bars . As

3010-463: The hot tar and chip laying machines. Some road companies in the US used steamrollers through the 1950s. In the UK some remained in service until the early 1970s. As internal combustion engines improved during the 20th century, kerosene -, gasoline - (petrol), and diesel -powered rollers gradually replaced their steam -powered counterparts. The first internal-combustion powered road rollers were similar to

3080-472: The location of the missing junction 3, from where an unbuilt spur would have connected to the A1 at Stirling Corner to the north-east). The M1 then runs south alongside the Midland Main Line towards Hendon , where it meets the A1 again at junction 2 via a tightly curved flyover section. These flyovers connecting from the A1 were originally both for northbound traffic: the left one as the on-ramp to

3150-498: The machine proved a huge success. Within a year, they were being exported around the world, including to France, India and the United States. A New York City chief engineer said of one of these, that "in one day's rolling at a cost of 10 dollars, as much work was accomplished as in two days' rolling with a 7 ton roller drawn by eight horses at a cost of 20 dollars a day." The heavier rollers were found to be hard to handle and

3220-620: The northern end was extended in 1999. There had been plans before the Second World War for a motorway network in the United Kingdom. Lord Montagu of Beaulieu formed a company to build a 'motorway-like road' from London to Birmingham in 1923, but it was a further 26 years before the Special Roads Act 1949 was passed, which allowed for the construction of roads limited to specific vehicle classifications, and in

3290-439: The patents owned by certain roller manufacturers tended to influence the general arrangements used by others. The key difference between the two vehicles is that on a roller the main roll replaces the front wheels and axle that would be fitted to a traction engine, and the driving wheels are smooth-tired. The word steamroller frequently refers to road rollers in general, regardless of the method of propulsion. Before about 1850,

3360-467: The powerful pushing force to spread bulk material. On regional roads, a smaller single padfoot drum machine may be used. The next machine is usually a single smooth drum compactor that compacts the high spots down until the soil is smooth. This is usually done in combination with a motor grader to obtain a level surface. Sometimes at this stage a pneumatic tyre roller is used. These rollers feature two rows (front and back) of pneumatic tyres that overlap, and

3430-445: The rims, to improve traction on tarmac. Engines intended for agricultural use would have a series of strakes bolted diagonally across the rims, like the tread on a modern pneumatic tractor tyre, and the wheels were typically wider to spread the load more evenly. Steam rollers, on the other hand, had smooth rear wheels and a roller at the front. The roller consisted of a pair of adjacent wide cylinders supported at both ends. This replaced

3500-584: The route. The road corridor includes a separate cycleway . The upgrade work for this final phase of the plan, the section running from junction 13 to Eagle Farm roundabout, started in September 2018 and was completed in December 2020. Work began on the 10-mile (16 km) section between the M25 and Luton (J6A-J10) in 2006 and opened in 2009, which included the construction of new parallel collector-distributor lanes between junctions 7 and 8. The M10 spur

3570-447: The separate motorway number M18. From junction 32, the motorway passes Sheffield, Rotherham , Barnsley and Wakefield , reaching the original end of the motorway at (the original) Junction 44 to the east of Leeds. There were plans to route the M1 from just south of junction 42, where it interchanges with the M62 , round the west of Leeds to the A1 at Dishforth . The chosen route passes to

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3640-421: The separate wheels and axle of a traction engine. In the conventional arrangement, the front roller is mounted centrally, forward of the chimney. In order to allow enough clearance from the boiler (and hence a larger front roll), the smokebox is extended forward substantially at the top to incorporate a support plate on which to mount the bearing for the roller assembly. This gives the distinctive, hooded look to

3710-408: The steam rollers they replaced. They used similar mechanisms to transmit power from the engine to the wheels, typically large, exposed spur gears. Some users disliked them in their infancy, as the engines of the era were typically difficult to start, particularly the kerosene-powered ones. Virtually all road rollers in use today use diesel power. Road rollers use the weight of the vehicle to compress

3780-436: The surface being rolled (static) or use mechanical advantage (vibrating). Initial compaction of the substrate on a road project is done using a padfoot or "sheep's foot" drum roller, which achieves higher compaction density due to the pads having less surface area. On large freeways, a four-wheel compactor with padfoot drum and a blade, such as a Caterpillar 815/825 series machine, would be used due to its high weight, speed, and

3850-427: The tri-tandems is known to have been used to construct parts of the M1 motorway . A variation of the basic configuration was the "convertible": an engine which could be either a steam roller or a traction engine and could be changed from one form to the other in a relatively short time – i.e. , less than half a day. Convertible engines were liked by local authorities, since the same machine could be used for haulage in

3920-402: The vehicle moved along, these removed any surface material that had become stuck to the roll, to prevent a build-up of material and ensure a flat finish was maintained. Some steam rollers were fitted with a scarifier mounted on the tender box at the rear. They could be swung down to road level and used to rip up the old surface before a road was remade. Another accessory was a tar sprayer –

3990-465: The war with an offensive. The "Russian Steamroller" is one of the personifications of Russia , along with the Russian bear , double-headed eagle and Mat Zemlya . Road roller Road rollers are frequently referred to as steamrollers , regardless of their method of propulsion. The first road rollers were horse-drawn , and were probably borrowed farm implements (see Roller ) . Since

4060-453: The weight of the machines was reduced to around 10 tons. Aveling & Porter refined their product continuously over the following decades, introducing fully steerable front rollers and compound steam engines at the 1881 Royal Agricultural Show . The move to asphalt for road construction resulted in the demand for steamrollers that could rapidly reverse so they could roll the tar while still hot. Machines that could do this were introduced in

4130-705: The whole of the Highways Agency programme, including the M1 project, on which costs had risen to £5.1 billion, as well as increasing opposition to major road expansion, as well as criticisms by the Transport Select Committee and the National Audit Office , led to wide-ranging re-assessments of the Agency's project costs. Widening was scaled back to the junctions 6A to 10 scheme that was already in progress, and from Nottingham and Mansfield (junctions 25–28), and hard shoulder running

4200-474: The whole of the first section opened in 1959, it was built in two parts, with the northern part (junctions 10 to 18) being built by John Laing and the southern part (the St Albans Bypass) being built by Tarmac Construction . The continuation of the motorway from junction 18 towards Yorkshire was carried out as a series of extensions between 1965 and 1968. Diverging from the A5, the motorway takes

4270-438: The winter and road-mending in the summer. Although most steam roller designs are derived from traction engines, and were manufactured by the same companies, there are a number of features that set them apart. The most obvious difference is in the wheels. Traction engines were generally built with large fabricated spoked steel wheels with wide rims. Those intended for road use would have continuous solid rubber tyres bolted around

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4340-461: The word steamroller meant a fixed machine for rolling and curving steel plates for boilers and ships. From then on, it also meant a mobile device for flattening ground. An early steamroller was patented by Louis Lemoine in France in 1859 and demonstrated sometime before February 1861. In Britain, a 30-ton steamroller was designed in 1863 by William Clark and partner W.F. Batho. Having failed to impress

4410-518: Was because a Government review into smart motorways found dynamic hard shoulder running was too confusing for drivers, leading to plans to convert all dynamic hard shoulders into permanent running lanes. Work to widen the 15-mile (24 km) section from Nottingham to Mansfield (J25-J28) to four lanes each way began in October 2007 and was completed in May 2010, at a cost of £340 million. A 50 mph limit, enforced by average speed cameras ,

4480-477: Was built as a motorway because it inevitably led to the M1, but as non-motorway traffic could now travel between the A414 at Hemel Hempstead and Park Street Roundabout without having to access the M1, the M10 was downgraded to an A road , and designated as part of the A414 to allow for this. The work also included widening or replacement of 11 underbridges on one or both carriageways, and replacing seven overbridges at

4550-508: Was confirmed by the government for these works, as part of the South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership "Local Growth Deal". As part of the government's pinch point reduction programme, work commenced in 2014 on the A421 in Milton Keynes to improve the Kingston roundabout, and dual the section from it to (near) the Bedfordshire border, with the construction of two new roundabouts on

4620-660: Was described by local papers as 'the world's first steamroller' and it caused a public spectacle. In 1867, the steam road roller was patented and the company began production of the first practical steam roller – the new machine's rollers were mounted at the front instead of the back and it weighed in excess of 30 tons. It was tested on the Military Road in Chatham , Star Hill in Rochester and in Hyde Park , London and

4690-486: Was featured in many of Fred's early television programmes. It may still be seen at steam rallies in Britain and was in steam at the Great Dorset Steam Fair in 2011. Author Terry Pratchett instructed his collaborator Neil Gaiman that anything Pratchett had been working on at the time of his death should be destroyed by a steamroller. Pratchett's daughter and literary executor Rhianna Pratchett also stated that she had no desire to try to finish her father's work or continue

4760-404: Was imposed for the period of construction, but it proved to be so effective that a permanent variable mandatory speed limit system was installed. In 2023, following a previous debate on the issue, local MPs Mark Fletcher and Lee Anderson called on the government to upgrade junction 28, describing it as a "pinch point" disadvantaging local residents and businesses. National Highways converted

4830-638: Was relocated, during widening works in 2007–08, to the eastern side of junction 10. This section of the M1 broadly follows the route of the A5 north-west. It started at the Watford Bypass ( A41 ), which runs south-east to meet the A1 at Apex corner, and ended on the A5 at Crick. The M10 spur motorway connected the M1 to the North Orbital Road ( A405 / A414 , a precursor of the M25 ) where it also met

4900-409: Was to be used for other sections. Many later developments, including smart motorway schemes, have been made to the M1, and these are detailed below. Recent concerns about accidents and deaths on the former hard shoulder have led to a halt and review into extending all lane running which reported in July 2021. The A5-M1 Link (Dunstable Northern Bypass) is a two-lane dual carriageway running east from

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