Second set of roadworks to be removed on M1
Another set of roadworks will be removed from the M1 in Derbyshire from Monday 19 October to help drivers on their journeys.
Highways England will be lifting the 50mph speed limit and removing the narrow lanes on a 3 mile section between Sheffield and Duckmanton near Chesterfield while work goes on behind the scenes to prepare for the opening of the smart motorway scheme between junctions 28 to 31 in December.
This is the second set of roadworks being removed from the M1 in the last month. On Monday 28 September, roadworks were removed between junctions 30 and 31.
Highways England senior project manager Andy Kirk said:
I’m delighted that we’re now in a position where we can remove another set of roadworks on the M1, improving journeys for drivers.
Work will continue behind the scenes completing various technical tasks until we’re ready to implement the smart motorway on this section of the M1 in December.
When the scheme goes lives, drivers will be able to use an extra lane and variable speed limits will help to keep traffic moving, bringing an end to the stop-start conditions most of us have experienced in the past.
Work will continue on the smart motorway between junction 29a at Duckmanton near Chesterfield and junction 28 at Mansfield, with narrow lanes and a temporary 50mph speed limit in place until the whole scheme is complete in December.
The smart motorway will then operate between junctions 28 and 31, with drivers able to use an extra lane in place of the hard shoulder and variable speed limits keeping traffic moving.
Another smart motorway project, from junction 32 (for the M18 near Rotherham), through the Sheffield and Rotherham area to junction 35a (for the Stocksbridge bypass), is also currently taking place on the M1 and is due to be finished by winter 2016/17.
The smart motorway schemes are part of £15 billion investment in motorways and major A roads by 2021. When they are complete, overhead electronic message signs will give drivers information about any congestion, lane closures and incidents ahead.
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