Highways England (HE) has opened the first phase of the M1 smart motorway between Northampton and the M45 in the Midlands.

The opening of the smart motorway is expected to reduce traffic congestion, as well as improve journey times for the commuters travelling in the region.

As part of the upgrade, the capacity of the smart motorway has been increased with the addition of the fourth lane.

The transport authorities have also installed advanced technology on the motorway in order to help keep traffic flowing smoothly.

HE smart motorway programme director Shaun Pidcock said: “This is a significant upgrade for the M1, which connects the north of England and London, and will deliver real benefits for the 125,000 drivers who use it every day.

“This is a significant upgrade for the M1, which connects the north of England and London, and will deliver real benefits for the 125,000 drivers who use it every day.”

“We’ve added new lanes and completely overhauled the technology to reduce the frustrating ‘stop-start’ traffic and give drivers better information to help with their journeys, while maintaining high levels of safety.

“As well as the upgrade, we have also been carrying out extensive maintenance, fully resurfacing the motorway and its slip roads and restoring it to an ‘as new’ condition. We have also introduced new style highly visible ‘orange’ emergency areas for use when drivers get into difficulty.”

The smart motorway will be linked with the new interchange at Catthorpe.

HE noted that when the smart motorway project is fully complete, the traffic sensors will automatically monitor vehicle numbers and adjust the speed limit accordingly.

The project is said to be part of the larger M1 junctions 19 to 13 smart motorway project, set out in the 2014 Road Investment Strategy and is slated for completion by 2021-2022.