THE 50TH anniversary of the opening of the M1 is to be marked with the unveiling of a plaque at the motorway's most-famous service station. Roads minister Chris Mole will perform the ceremony at Watford Gap services in Northamptonshire.
It was on November 2 1959 that the then Transport Minister Ernest Marples opened the first section of the M1. That first 62-mile stretch ran from the existing junction 5 near Watford in Hertfordshire to junction 18 near Rugby in the West Midlands.
At the time of the M1 opening, there were fewer than five million licensed cars on UK roads compared with more than 28 million now. But without the current inter-city motorways, the road network was struggling by the late 1950s to cope with the growing traffic.
The M1 proved popular immediately, drastically reducing journey times between London and Birmingham. Within a few years, northern and southern extensions were added to the road which now stretches 193 miles from Brent Cross in north west London to Garforth near Leeds.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here