A1(M) and M1 Link Roads
How do you get across to the M1 if the A1(M) is shut? The two roads both run north from London and finally meet east of Leeds, so there is almost always a way across. This page lists them from the A1 side, south to north: where to leave, which road to take, and where it reaches the M1.
The crossings at a glance
| Leave the A1 or A1(M) at | Take | Reach the M1 at | Your end is |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1(M) J1, South Mimms | M25 | J6A (M25 J21A) | Motorway |
| A1(M) J3 and J4, Hatfield | A414 via St Albans | J7 and J8 | Motorway |
| A1(M) J9, Letchworth | A505 towards Luton | Luton, J10 and J11 | Motorway |
| The Black Cat | A421 | J13 | Plain A1 |
| South of St Neots | A428 | J18 | Plain A1 |
| Brampton | A14 | J19, Catthorpe | Plain A1 |
| Wansford | A47 | No M1 junction | Plain A1 |
| Stamford | A43 via Corby and Kettering | J15A | Plain A1 |
| Barrowby, Grantham | A52 | J25 | Plain A1 |
| Apleyhead | A57 | J31 | Plain A1 |
| A1(M) J35, Doncaster | M18 | J32 | Motorway |
| A1(M) at Ferrybridge | M62 | J42 | Motorway |
| A1(M) J43, near Micklefield | The M1 itself | J48, the M1’s end | Motorway |
Before you rely on one
- The M25 route uses two part junctions. M25 Junction 21A, the M1’s Junction 6A, and M25 Junction 23, the A1(M)’s Junction 1, do not allow every movement, so check the signs.
- The A505 does not take you straight onto the M1. It runs from Junction 9 through Hitchin towards Luton; in Luton the road to M1 Junction 11 is signed A5065. For the airport, see Luton Airport from the A1(M).
- The A14 meets the plain A1 at Brampton, not the A1(M). Junction 14 at Alconbury is still signed “A1 to A14”, along the old line, now the A1307.
- The A47 has no M1 junction. It crosses the M1 near Leicester Forest East. From the A1(M), Junction 17 is signed for the A47 via the A1139.
- The A45 is not a crossing. It ends on the A14 at Thrapston.
- The M18 leaves at Junction 35, which is also the M18’s Junction 2, and reaches the M1 at its Junction 32. It is the first motorway link between the two roads north of the M25.
Where the two roads become one
At Junction 43, near Micklefield, the M1 ends at its Junction 48 and joins the A1(M). Travelling north on the A1(M) you cannot leave there for the M1; the M1’s traffic simply joins you. Travelling south you can leave at Junction 43 for the M1 and Leeds. Drivers coming north on the M1 who want the A1(M) southbound leave earlier, at M1 Junction 47, and use the A642.
News for each road
The M1 site has its own guide from the other side: M1 and A1 link roads. The M25 is on M25 Traffic. For the M18, the M62 and the A-roads in the table, see Traffic News England. The plain A1 is on A1 traffic news.