Monday 2nd November 1959
The first section of the M1 motorway between Junction 5 (Watford) and Junction 18 (Crick/Rugby), together with the motorway’s two spurs (the M10 from Junction 7 to the south of St Albans, originally connecting to the A1, and the M45 from Junction 17 to the A45 and Coventry), was opened by the British Minister for Transport Ernest Marples. At first there was no speed limit, no central reservation, no crash barriers and no lighting. Approximately 13,000 vehicles were estimated to use the M1 on a daily basis in 1959, compared with today’s figure of 90,000. The 72 miles of the southern section of the road was built by a labour force of 5,000 in just 19 months at a cost of £16.5 million – at an average of 1 mile every 8 days.
