M1 motorway

M1
London – Yorkshire motorway
M1 highlighted in blue Show interactive map Shown with UK motorway network Show UK motorways map
Looking north towards junction 37 on one of the few stretches that remain three-lane
Route information
Part of E13
Maintained by National Highways
Length	193.5 mi[1] (311.4 km)
Existed	1959–present
History	Opened: 1959 Completed: 1999
Major junctions
South end	Staples Corner, London (A406) 51°34′32″N 0°14′06″W / 51.5755°N 0.2351°W / 51.5755; -0.2351 (M1 Motorway (southern end))
Major intersections	J6a → M25 motorway J17 → M45 motorway J19 → M6 motorway J21 → M69 motorway J32 → M18 motorway J42 → M62 motorway J43 → M621 motorway A1(M) motorway
North end	Hook Moor, West Yorkshire (A1(M)) 53°49′22″N 1°20′20″W / 53.8229°N 1.3388°W / 53.8229; -1.3388 (M1 motorway (northern end))
Location
Country	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Counties	Greater London, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Yorkshire (South & West)
Primary destinations	London Brent Cross Watford St Albans Hemel Hempstead Luton Milton Keynes Northampton Rugby Leicester Loughborough Nottingham Derby Mansfield Chesterfield Sheffield Rotherham Barnsley Wakefield Leeds
Road network
Roads in the United Kingdom Motorways A and B road zones
← M1 → M2

The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK;^[2] the first motorway in the country was the Preston Bypass, which later became part of the M6.^[3]

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 the northern end was extended in 1999.