M1 junction 10 to 13 enhancements

We’re upgrading 11.2 miles of central reservation barrier in Bedfordshire, upgrading it from steel to concrete, to improve the safety and reliability of journeys along this stretch of the M1. We're also installing more CCTV and improving traffic and information signs between the junctions.

Start date Winter 2023

End date Spring 2025

Cost TBC

Latest updates

20 December 2024

Roadworks removed

We're making progress on our work to upgrade the central reservation barrier from steel to concrete on the M1 between junctions 10 (Luton Airport) and 13 (Milton Keynes South/Bedford).

We've removed roadworks on the 9-mile section between junctions 11a and 13 on both the northbound and southbound carriageway, and removed the speed limit in time for the busy Christmas period.

This is in addition to the roadworks on the 5.7-mile section between junctions 10 to 11a, and 1.3-mile section between junctions 12 to 13 we removed in September and November respectfully.

We've only a 1.9-mile section of roadworks remaining on the M1 southbound between junction 12 and 11a over the Christmas break. We'll return in the new year to continue the upgrade work on the Toddington services slip road with an expected spring 2025 completion date.

Thank you for your patience as we carry out this upgrade work on the M1.
13 December 2024

Project progress and roadworks removal

Our upgrade work on the M1 between junctions 10 and 13 is going well. We’ll shortly be reopening the 9-mile (14.5km) section between junctions 11a (Chalton Interchange for A5/Dunstable North) and 13 (Milton Keynes South/Bedford) by removing the roadworks and the temporary speed limit.

Using existing overnight closures, we’ll start reopening the section between junctions 13 and 11a from Thursday 12 December (southbound). We’ll reopen the northbound carriageway between junctions 11a and 13 from Monday 16 December.

This is in addition to the roadworks we removed from a 1.3-mile section between junctions 12 to 13 in November.

We’ll have only a 1.9-mile section of roadworks remaining on the M1 southbound between junction 12 and 11a over the Christmas break. We expect the upgrade work to Toddington services slip road to be completed by Spring 2025.

Planned closures

To work safely, we are planning the following overnight closures from 10pm to 5am between junction 11a and 14:

Thursday 12 December 2024
Southbound: Full overnight closure of M1 junction 14 to 11a

Friday 13 December 2024
Southbound: Full overnight closure of M1 junction 14 to 11a

Sunday 15 December 2024
Northbound: Full overnight closure of M1 junction 11a to 14

Monday 16 December 2024
Northbound: Full overnight closure of M1 junction 11a to 13

Tuesday 17 December 2024
Northbound: Full overnight closure of M1 junction 11a to 13
Southbound: Lane 4 closed between junction 12 and 11

Wednesday 18 December 2024
Northbound: Full overnight closure of M1 junction 11a to 13

Thursday 19 December 2024
Southbound: Lanes 1 and 2 closed between junction 13 and 11a
06 December 2024
Updated December closures

We're continuing our upgrade of the central reservation barrier.

To work safely, we are planning the following overnight closures from 10pm to 5am between junction 11a and 14 on the M1:
- Friday 6 December 2024
  Southbound: Lane 2 and 3 closed between junction 13 and 11a
- Saturday 7 December 2024
  Southbound: Lanes 2 and 3 closed between junction 13 and 11a
- Sunday 8 December 2024
  Northbound: Lanes 2 and 3 closed between junction 11a and 13
- Monday 9 December 2024
  Northbound: Lanes 2 and 3 closed between junction 11a and 13
- Tuesday 10 December 2024
  Southbound: Full overnight closure of M1 junction 14 to 11a
- Wednesday 11 December 2024
  Southbound: Full overnight closure of M1 junction 14 to 11a
- Thursday 12 December 2024
  Southbound: Full overnight closure of M1 junction 14 to 11a
- Friday 13 December 2024
  Southbound: Full overnight closure of M1 junction 14 to 11a
- Sunday 15 December 2024
  Northbound: Full overnight closure of M1 junction 11a to 14
- Monday 16 December 2024
  Northbound: Full overnight closure of M1 junction 11a to 14
- Tuesday 17 December 2024
  Northbound: Full overnight closure of M1 junction 11a to 14
- Wednesday 18 December 2024
  Northbound: Full overnight closure of M1 junction 11a to 14
- Thursday 19 December 2024
  Southbound: Lanes 1 and 2 closed between junction 13 and 11a
Please remember that closures can change at short notice. You can check the latest information on our daily closures page or find live travel information on our Traffic England. Our travel alerts give details of live incidents on our network.
18 September 2024

Removal of roadworks – September 2024

Our work is progressing well, and we’ve completed the installation of the new central reservation concrete barrier between junctions 10 (Luton airport) and 11a (Charlton Interchange, Houghton Regis).

We’ve started reopening this 5.7 miles (9.2km) section by removing the roadworks and the temporary speed limit.

We used existing overnight road closures to safely remove the roadworks between junctions 10 and 11a on the northbound carriageway last week Thursday 12 September.

We have also removed the roadworks on the southbound carriageway between junctions 11a and 10 on 16 September.

M1 southbound carriageway junction 11a to junction 9

16 September to 20 September - 10pm - 5am

We’ll continue to remove cameras on the southbound carriageway between junctions 11a and 10. To do our work, we’ll need to close the motorway overnight. We aim to complete this by Friday 20 September.

Please remember that closures can change at short notice. You can check the latest information on our daily closures page or find live travel information on our Traffic England. Our travel alerts give details of live incidents on our network.
29 August 2024

Essential repairs - late August and September 2024

We're continuing our essential repairs to ensure the M1 remains safe and serviceable.

We'll soon be finishing our work on M1 southbound between junctions 11a and 9.

We'll then move to the M1 southbound between junction 13 (Milton Keynes South) and junction 11a (Charlton Interchange, Houghton Regis).

To minimise disruption to the public we’ll perform maintenance work at the same time.

Overnight closures (10pm - 5am)

To do our work, we’ll need to close the motorway overnight at the following locations:

M1 junction 11a to 9 Southbound carriageway

27 August for 4 nights.

M1 junction 13 to 11a Southbound carriageway

9 September for 6 nights.

We've timed closures for when traffic levels are lowest.

Each closure will have fully signed diversion routes in place.
19 March 2024

Work progresses on barrier installation

Work is progressing well and we’ve removed 8.5 miles (13.6km) of the existing old steel central reservation barrier between junctions 10 and 13, with 2 miles (3.2 km) of existing steel barrier left to remove.

We’ve completed 70% of our excavation work and started work to fill any ditches in the existing concrete hardstanding areas between junction 10 to 11. These need to be filled with concrete to prepare the area on which the new barriers are to be built. As well as removing old street lighting bases between junctions 10 to 12.

Preparation work to fill any ditches on the existing concrete hard standing has started between junction 11 and 11a. This involves removing drainage covers, cleaning and removing ironwork in the central reservation where necessary.

Before we can begin drainage work between junction 11a and 13, we need to carry out investigation and prepare the area. This involves digging trial holes to check where services are, setting out for drainage, clearing and opening existing drainage chambers.

We’ll start removing the old steel barrier foundations between junctions 11a and 12 later this week.

Other work

We're also repairing CCTV and variable message signs, which are used to assist with the management of traffic on the motorway.

Our control centre operators monitor the motorway for incidents, allowing us to deal with these events and manage the M1 road.
03 January 2024

Work starts on 10 January

Our important upgrade work on the M1 will start once the narrow lanes and traffic management barriers have been fully installed.

We’ll begin by changing some of the existing road layouts. This involves removing and reconfiguring road markings.

To minimise disruption, we'll be keeping three lanes open with a 50mph average speed restriction in place during our work. The hard shoulder and lane 1 will remain at the current lane widths, with lane 2 being narrowed down.

Lane 3 will be closed while work is being carried out for the safety of road users and road workers. We do this to make the area safe for our team to work in.

We’ll also install temporary metal barriers in the central reservation to protect our workers.

See more updates

Project information

Safety is our top priority. Upgrading these barriers will improve journeys and significantly reduce the risk of vehicles crossing over from one carriageway to another, improving safety and reducing the duration of incident-related congestion.

We are continuing to deliver safety enhancements to the M1 motorway, which is amongst the busiest in the country and relied on by hundreds of thousands of people every day.

We're delivering a series of safety enhancements to sections of dynamic hard shoulder motorways across the country. Dynamic hard shoulder sections allow traffic to use the hard shoulder under mandatory variable speed limits to ease congestion when traffic levels are heavy. The work is part of our commitment to invest in the safety of smart motorways and improve people’s confidence in them.

Concrete barriers are even stronger than metal ones and significantly reduce the risk of vehicles crossing over from one carriageway to another, improving safety and reducing the duration of incident-related congestion. They are also virtually maintenance free and will last twice as long as normal metal barriers, with far less need for closures for routine repairs .

As well as the barrier upgrade, CCTV along the motorway will be upgraded and improved signage for each of the section’s 30 emergency areas will be installed.

When the road is closed, please follow the official signed diversion routes. Please do not use satellite navigation (sat nav) when following the diversion, as they may give conflicting information.

Please be considerate of residents living along the diversion routes when using these roads when the M1 is closed. Diversion timings are approximate and are a guide only: please check Traffic England for current traffic conditions.

M1 J10 to J11a northbound diversion

M1 J11a to J13 northbound diversion

M1 J11a to J14 northbound diversion

M1 J14 to 11a southbound diversion

M1 J13 to J11a southbound diversion

M1 J11a to J9 southbound diversion

M1 J10 to J9 southbound diversion