Friars Wash
Friars Wash | |||
Location Map ( geo) | |||
| |||
Location | |||
Flamstead | |||
County | |||
Hertfordshire | |||
Highway Authority | |||
National Highways | |||
Junction Type | |||
Folded dumbbell | |||
Roads Joined | |||
M1, A5183 | |||
Junctions related to the A5183 | |||
Friars Wash Interchange forms junction 9 of the M1 and was originally built in 1959 to provide access between the M1 and A5 trunk road.
History
The interchange was designed, alongside the remainder of M1 junctions 5 to 10 and the M10 by Hertfordshire County Council, using the Owen Williams bridge design adopted for the entire M1 from junctions 5 to 18. The original layout was essentially that which can be seen today, except that the slip roads met the A5 at a T junction rather than at roundabouts.
At one time the interchange had two northbound on-slips, one taking westbound A5 traffic round a 270 degree loop along the sliproad that exists today, and the other situated north of the A5 carrying eastbound A5 traffic turning left onto the M1.
The southbound sliproad junction with the A5 situated to the east of the motorway was upgraded to a roundabout (date unknown butnot later than 1990), however the northbound slip roads remained unchanged until the 1993 scheme to widen the northbound M1 from junctions 9-10.
As part of this contract, the northern northbound off-slip was permanently closed and removed. A new roundabout was built west of the M1 to enable all traffic to use the southern northbound on-slip to access the motorway. The original Owen Williams bridge was widened to accommodate an additional lane above.
Further modifications were made when the M1 junction 6A to 10 widening scheme was built. The Owen Williams bridge was widened slightly to the east, and a new bridge built alongside to carry the realigned southbound on-slip.
As of the 10th May 2017, junction 11A was opened as part of the M1-A5 link road, with this link road now being numbered the A5. The existing route through Dunstable has now been renumbered as the continuation of the A5183.
Routes
Route | To | Notes |
The NORTH | ||
London | ||
Dunstable, Whipsnade (B4540) | ||
St Albans, Redbourn | 7.5 Ton weight limit, formerly A5 | |
Dunstable, Thorn | formley A5, multiplexes with A505 in Dunstable | |
Kinsbourne Green | Watery Lane |
Links
legislation.gov.uk