A ‘smart motorway’ system turning parts of the M1 in Nottinghamshire into a four-lane road has opened after more than 20 months of roadworks.
The 20-mile stretch, from junction 28 near Mansfield to junction 31 at Worksop, includes electronic signs which will control traffic flow with speed restrictions at busy periods to ease congestion.
The project, commissioned by Highways England, has cost around £200 million and work first began in August 2014.
Around 95,000 drivers use the section of road every day – and delays during the work have caused headaches.
We will have more reliable journeys
Arun Sahni, project manager for Highways England, said: “It involves a lot more technology so in advance of any incidents we we can set the signage so people will know what is up ahead.
“We’ve all suffered disruption in actually getting here, we should now look to the future and we will have more reliable journeys.
“This section on a typical Monday morning would be chocca and today it’s been quite free-flowing.”
The fourth lane can become a hard shoulder again in the even of a breakdown, with electronic signs warning motorists of the lane closure.
But not everyone is convinced. Vehicle recovery technician Carl Nortcliffe said: “There must be a danger part of it, when you break down where are you going to immediately go.
“That’s the biggest concern now and it’s a big safety problem in my view.”
Highways England pointed out there are now twenty refuge areas on the stretch, in addition to the lane closure system.
Further north similar work is continuing between junctions 32 and 35a, and is expected to be finished this winter.
