M1 video: How they spent £210m on one of Yorkshire's worst traffic blackspots

The £120m scheme which aims to speed up journeys and improve safety along a stretch of the M1 has now been completed after a three-year programme of work.

Construction work overseen by Highways England started in 2013 and more than 300 workers were involved in upgrading the seven-mile stretch of road.

The first section, a five-lane stretch between Morley and Lofthouse, was opened in December. And the final phase of the Smart Motorway, from junction 39 at Denby Dale to junction 42 at Lofthouse, went live today.

Highways England’s senior project manager, Sandie Forte-Gill, said: “This was really needed, it was one of the hotspots in the region in terms of congestion. The road had really deteriorated quite a lot over the last few years in terms of queues so this will go a long way to improving that.”

The upgrade aims to reduce the number of accidents on the stretch of motorway by up to 15 per cent. Four lanes are now open across the stretch of motorway after the hard shoulder was converted into an extra lane.

New technology will monitor traffic levels, provide information to drivers and ease congestion by using variable speed limits on overhead message signs.

Infra-red CCTV, monitored by staff at Highways England’s regional control centre in Durkar, Wakefield, will be used 24 hours a day to respond quickly to incidents.

Contractors for Highways England installed 6,172 road studs, put in nearly seven miles of reinforced concrete barriers in the central reservation and resurfaced the same length on both carriageways. A total of 10 overhead gantries with 38 electronic signs have also been installed as part of the scheme.