M1 motorway

M1
M1
London – Yorkshire motorway
	M1 highlighted in blue ; Shown with UK motorway network
	Looking north towards junction 37 on one of the few stretches that remain three-lane, 2007
Route information
	Part of E13
	Maintained by National Highways
Length	193.5 mi (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
	; 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
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;

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; the first motorway in the country was the Preston Bypass, which later became part of the M6.

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.

It is also the second longest motorway in the country with the M6 motorway being the longest at 232 miles (373 km).