A1(M) Motorway

The A1(M) Motorway

The A1(M) is the motorway sections of the A1, the Great North Road, running in stretches from Hertfordshire up through Yorkshire to Tyneside.

Where to Find A1(M) Traffic News

A dedicated A1(M) website is coming soon, in the same style as our other motorway sites. Until it is live, you can find all the news for the A1(M) and the other motorways and major roads in England on the all-news page on Traffic News England. Choose A1(M) in the road filter to see only the A1(M), or search for a junction to find the stretch you will be travelling between.

For news by area, see the East of England, Yorkshire and the Humber and North East pages on Traffic News England, which cover the A1(M) together with the other main roads in those regions.

Information about the A1(M) Motorway

How long is the A1(M)? The A1(M) motorway is 23 miles (37 km) long.

Where does the A1(M) run between? The A1(M) runs north south London South Mimms on the M25 to Hatfield in the north.

Does the A1(M) connect with other motorways? The A1(M) connects to the M1 South Mimms at Junction 1.

What are the primary destinations or junctions on the A1(M)?

Primary destinations are Hatfield, Welwyn Garden City, Stevenage and Stotfold and London (M1).

When was the A1(M) constructed? The A1(M) was constructed between 1962 and 1986.

Was the A1(M) the first motorway built? No the first UK road to be built to motorway standard was the Preston Bypass which later became part of the M6.

The A1(M) in numbers

Traffic on the A1(M) as counted by the Department for Transport.

about 56,000

vehicles a day

on an average stretch of the A1(M). The busiest stretch carries about 143,000 a day.

1 in 8

vehicles is a lorry

and about 1 in 6 is a van, so a large share of A1(M) traffic is people at work.

Source: Department for Transport road traffic statistics, 2025. Averages across the whole road; rounded.

See also: A1(M) traffic reports · all the motorways we cover.