Highways Agency

The Project

The Highways Agency is planning an £11 million project on the M1 between Junctions 1 and 4 to replace overhead gantries that have reached the end of their life and provide better information for road users by using new electronic signs.

The new electronic variable message signs will be positioned along the verge of both M1 carriageways and will give drivers better information about incidents and conditions on the road ahead. This will help the Highways Agency to deal with incidents and congestion more quickly and efficiently.

An incident detection system will identify queuing traffic and automatically activate signals to warn approaching vehicles of slow moving or stationary traffic. Drivers will be able to slow down in time, reducing further incidents, and consider alternative routes which will help cut congestion.

The project started on 7th January 2008, daytime roadworks start in February 2008 and the project is due to be completed by March 2009.

Traffic Management

When planning road projects we ensure that the work causes the least amount of disruption to the travelling public. Traffic lanes will be reduced in width to provide sufficient working space and a 50mph speed limit will be in force for your safety. Occasional overnight lane closures and carriageway closures will also be required. Please visit the Roadworks page for the latest traffic management arrangements for this scheme.

The Benefits

In summary, the benefits of this scheme include:

• Improving road safety
• Making journeys more reliable by reducing congestion
• Providing better information to road users

For more information about the variable message signs please go to the Highways Agency online Knowledge Centre.