M10/M1

Introduction

The M1 was the first long-distance motorway to be built in the United Kingdom, and the first section that opened stretched from Berrygrove (near the current J5) to Crick. To distribute the traffic onto the local road network at each end, two spur motorways were built: the M45 Dunchurch bypass at the northern end, and the M10 St Albans bypass at the southern end. More information about the M1, M10 and M45 can be found on the IHT's Motorway Archive.

These bits of motorway are among my favourite roads in the country. Many of the bridges are still the original Owen Williams concrete designs, the undulating section between J8-9 looks good at night, and driving along them reminds me of the sequences in Thunderbirds with Parker driving Lady Penelope down a deserted motorway. Unfortunately the M1 is no longer deserted, by any means, but the M10 is still fairly quiet.

Pictures

Clicking on any of the thumbnails will bring up a larger picture.

	Now where have I seen this before? Answer -- it's the roundabout featured in the Highway Code (except the names and road numbers have been changed). It's the Park Street Roundabout, just outside St Albans, where the M10 meets the A414, A405 and A5183. This picture is taken from the westbound carriageway of the A414.
	Ah... the M10. Lovely and quiet -- not many motorways like this left in the South East.
	The M10 is over all too quickly, and we must merge with the northbound M1 (J7). In this picture the northwest-bound carriageway of the M10 splits from the southeast-bound carriageway and crosses the M1. The line of the M1's catenary lighting can be seen crossing the picture.
	This is where the fun starts. Junctions 7 and 8 are very close together, so merging M10 traffic that wants to continue north on the M1 must move over quickly. The M1 traffic for Hemel Hempstead (J8) impedes this manoeuvre somewhat...
	Who's stolen all the 't's?! The A414 at J8 used to be the A4147, hence the small patch over the sign.
	An original Owen Williams bridge at J8. This is where the catenary lighting stops, and the normal lighting columns start.
	When the M1 was built in the late 1950s, excessive use of cuttings and embankments was avoided. Instead, the motorway was generally aligned to follow the ups and downs of the surrounding fields. This gives it its distinctive look, with the lighting columns rising and falling over the hills. It's quite spectacular at night.
	The Owen Williams bridges on the M1 function as an alternative graffiti message board. One of the commonest sights is the word "Gouranga!", which is sacred to the Hare Krishna movement. Here it is on the overbridge just before M1 J9 (with another sweeping view down the motorway). This photo shows a similar view (except after the bridge, and on the other carriageway) of this junction just before opening.
	This is the spur at J10 to the roundabout with the A1081 at J10a. An old "End of motorway 1/2 mile" sign is visible on the left -- it's got original concrete legs.