M11 motorway

This article is about the M11 in England. For other roads named M11, seeM11 (disambiguation) § Transportation.

M11
M11 highlighted in blue Shown with UK motorway network
The M11 north ofCambridge
Route information
Maintained byNational Highways
Length	55.0 mi (88.5 km)
Existed	1975–present
History	Opened: 1975 Completed: 1980
Major junctions
Southwest end	South Woodford
Major intersections	M25 motorway
Northeast end	Girton
Location
Country	United Kingdom
Counties	Greater London,Essex,Cambridgeshire
Primary destinations	London Harlow Stansted Airport Cambridge
Road network
Roads in the United Kingdom Motorways A and B road zones
←M9 →M18

TheM11is a 55 miles (89 km)motorwaythat runs north from theNorth Circular Road(A406) inSouth Woodfordto theA14,northwest ofCambridge,England. Originally proposed as a trunk road as early as 1915, various plans were considered throughout the 1960s, with final construction being undertaken between 1975 and 1980. The motorway was opened in stages, with the first stage between junctions 7 and 8 opening in June 1975, and the completed motorway becoming fully operational in February 1980. Running fromWoodfordtoGirton,the motorway provides direct access toHarlow,Cambridgeand since 2002, greatly improved access toLondon Stansted Airport.

Route

The M11 starts in South Woodford in northeast London, just north of Redbridge Roundabout, crosses theNorth Circular(A406) at junction 4, it then headsNNE,passing east ofLoughtonandTheydon Boisas well asEpping Forest,meeting theM25 motorwayat junction 6, and then veering approximately north, passing to the east ofHarlow.The M11 gives access toBishop's Stortfordand the motorway's onlyservice stationvia junction 8. This is followed immediately by the recently constructed junction 8A, which provides a free-flow link to the improvedA120that links toStansted Airport.The M11 then traverses part ofCambridgeshire,meeting a spur for theA11at junction 9, Stump Cross, and then finally ends at junction 14, the Girton Interchange, with the road continuing through the junction and becoming theA14,which continues the route on toHuntingdonand the north.

The motorway starts with two lanes southbound and three northbound; then, north ofWoodford Bridge,both directions have three lanes, a layout that continues up to junction 8A, except for a brief two-lane section at junction 6, beneath the M25. From junction 8 the motorway has two lanes in both directions all the way to junction 14 where the motorway terminates. The motorway is illuminated at the southern terminus near junction 4, at junction 6 (the M25 interchange), and also at the approach to junction 8/8A (Stansted Airport/Bishop's Stortford), and then at the northern terminus at junction 14, for the A14. All four of these sections use modernhigh-pressure sodium(SON) lighting. The older, yellow, low-pressure sodium (SOX) lighting originally used at junctions 4 and 6 was replaced in 2005. The M11 junctions 1, 2 and 3 do not exist; see the History section below for explanation.

History

Planning

Plans for an 'Eastern Avenue' in London had been proposed as early as 1915, and the Eastern Avenue Extension was causing local concern in Leyton and Hackney during the late 1950s and early 1960s.It was opposed by a number of groups, including the Hackney Societyand local residents as represented by their member of parliament in 1962.

By 1966, theMinistry of Transportwas planning a longer road and for it to be partly motorway. The first version had a mid-south section, to follow aRiver Learoute, starting atAngelsouthwest ofDalston,heading northeast then north, taking land by the river inWalthamstow,ChingfordandWaltham Cross,and meeting the built road alignment of today north ofHarlow.The road from South Woodford toIslingtonwould have been designated as the M12. The route was in planning stages with several options, with differences between the plans preferred by the Greater London Council and the Ministry of Transport– a different version called for this 'Eastern Avenue' to run more east–west alongside theRegent's Canaland the north side ofVictoria Park,Hackney Wick,where it would have connected to theNorth CrossandEast Cross Routesat the northeast corner of aninner ringwayidentified by theLondon Ringwaysplan.

There were three proposed routes from the inner toouter ringway(North Circular) at the base of the current M11 and it is unclear which one was favoured.

Under one scheme, south ofSouth Woodforda connection would have been made with the western end of a proposed "M12"towardsColchester.These proposals also made the case for anM15 motorwayfor the Ringway 2, a major upgrade of theNorth Circular Roadto typical motorway standard. When the southern end of the current M11 ended here, space was provided between the two carriageways to enable an offshoot of 'the M12' to merge from the southwest: junctions 1, 2 and 3 were reserved for this additional inner London section. Part of the unbuilt route of a southern section of the M11 is seen from a sliproad from the North Circular to the M11 which travels over a bridge over bare land.

It was announced in March 1975 that from junction 8 (Bishops Stortford/Stansted exit) to the northern terminus, (thus including the Cambridge western bypass) would not be "constructed to M1 standard".This was another way of stating that, following a change in government policy, this section would comprise two rather than three lanes in each direction.

Additions

TheM11 Link Road,or more formally 'A12 Hackney to M11 link road' (in fact leading to the North Circular) was constructed during the 1990s fromHackney WickbyVictoria Parkto the Redbridge Roundabout—the interchange with the North Circular—and was opened in 1999.The route of this road, which followed a similar route to one of the initial proposalsresulted in the protractedM11 link road protestbetween 1993 and 1995, one of a spate of majorUK road protestsunder theMajor ministry.

A new junction 7a was opened on 10 June 2022. The stated aims for this development are:

• Create a new east–west link, which will move traffic smoothly out of Harlow on to the M11
• Reduce congestion on the north–south links through Harlow and towards junction 7
• Create new public transport and sustainable travel opportunities
• Provide new opportunities for housing and business developments.

Abortive/suspended proposals

Junction 5

An official plan to add north-facing connections at junction 5 inDebden,Loughtonwas abandoned in 1998.

Junctions 6 to 8

M11 Junction 6 to 8 widening

A map showing the 2009 proposal for widening of the M11 and surrounding road proposals
Location	Essex
Proposer	Highways Agency
Status	suspended
Type	road
Cost estimate	£698 million (2007)
Geometry	KML

The Highways Agency tabled proposals to upgrade the M11, between junction 6 and 8, from three lanes plus hard shoulder to four each way with an estimated cost of £698 million given in 2007. A number of public consultations were made throughout 2007and although efforts were made to limit environmental damage the scheme would cause disruption and loss of habitat to three designated ecological areas and aSite of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)at Gernon Bushes.Maps of the proposal and previously discounted options were published by the Highways Agency. Plans were abandoned in March 2009 when theSecretary of State for Transportannounced that no changes would be made to this section of motorway before 2021.

Construction

The motorway was opened in stages. The stretch between junctions 7 and 8 opened in 1975, and that between junctions 4 and 7 in 1977.The stretch from junctions 8 to 9 opened in 1979; that between junctions 9 and 14 in 1980; and the full length becoming fully operational in February 1980.

Budgets were tight during the 1970s when the road was built, so theroad surfacewas of unsurfacedconcretebetween junction 14 and a point approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) to the south of junction 7. South of this stretch, where the road runs on soft ground close to theRiver Roding,concrete was considered unsuitable owing to the looseness of thesubsoiland the consequent risk of random cracking, so the surface here was oftarmacfrom the start.

Services

The motorway's first, and only, service station, Birchanger Green Services at junction 8, opened in 1996. The services also serve theA120,a major high-speed dual-carriageway road, running from junction 8A to the eastern fringe ofBraintree,it continues on toColchesteras a busy single-carriageway road.

There had been plans for a service station on the motorway as long ago as 1969, namedChigwell,between that village andLoughton,which led to the construction of spur roads and a restricted lorry park; during theLondon Olympics 2012these were used as a works unit.The plans for a service station at this site were officially dropped in 1980.

Operation

From the late 1990s onward, the concrete surface that had greatly degraded was progressively replaced with standard layers of tarmac, anddrainageimprovements were implemented at the same time. This work was completed in June 2008.

Junction 8A for the A120 road and Stansted Airport opened in December 2002.

Proposed developments

By way of complementary plans forproposed expansionofStansted Airport,theHighways Agencycollaborated withBAAon improvements to transport access to the airportincluding two proposals for the M11, one of which has been deemed unnecessary, junctions 6–8, see above and the other of which, including spur road and junction additions may be approved by the government if Stansted expansion takes place.

M11 and A120 interchange – Stansted generation 2 airport access

Stansted generation 2 airport access

A map showing the proposed road development at the entry to Stansted Airport.
Location	Essex
Proposer	Highways Agency
Status	suspended
Type	Road
Cost estimate	£131 million

A joint scheme involving works on junctions on the M11 andA120.This scheme was part of an aborted plan to add a second runway to Stansted Airport. It proposed changes to junction 8 of the M11 with the creation of junction 8B, linked to and situated just north of junction 8/8A and the creation of a new junction on the A120, to provide additional rapid access to the expanded airport.The scheme was given an estimated cost of £131million in May 2008.

A number of public consultations and exhibitions were held throughout 2007. Findings from these showed that although the public had several concerns regarding environmental impact 57% of attendees agreed the scheme would be necessary if the Stansted Airport expansion proceeded.Following the public consultation, the preferred route was published on 5 March 2008 and the draft orders on 27 March 2008. A pre-public inquiry meeting took place on 10 November 2008,with a public inquiry due in April 2009.However, this was delayed until further notice following BAA's appeal against theMarch 2009 rulingof the Competition Commission and the proposal lapsed when the application for a second runway was withdrawn by BAA in 2010.

Incidents

Plane crash

On 2 June 2002, a brake failure on anAero L-39 Albatrosslanding at theImperial War Museum Duxfordcaused the plane to run off the end of the runway and down an embankment onto the southbound carriageway of the motorway. The trainee pilot was killed when heejectedat ground level, but the instructor survived the accident and no vehicles on the motorway were involved.The main runway at Duxford had been shortened in 1977 from 6,000 feet (1,800 m) to 4,800 feet (1,500 m) when the motorway was built. More recently, even though Duxford already met all licensing requirements, the declared length was reduced to 4,010 feet (1,220 m) to increase safety further than existing measures.

Snow storm

In January 2003, thousands of motorists became stranded on "White Friday" for up to 20hours between junctions 7 and 9 during a snowstorm.

Junctions

Data fromdriver location signsare used to provide distance and carriageway identifier information.

M11 motorway junctions
mile	km	Southbound exits (B carriageway)	Junction	Northbound exits (A carriageway)	Coordinates
7.5	12.1	North CircularA406 (West)(A10, A1),West End The City,Docklands,Blackwall Tunnel(A12, A13),A406 South	J4	Start of motorway	51.5978°N 0.0438°E/51.5978; 0.0438(M11, Junction 4 - start of motorway)
		EnteringGreater London		EnteringEssex
11.4	18.4	No access	J5	Debden,LoughtonA1168	51.6404°N 0.0842°E/51.6404; 0.0842(M11, Junction 5)
14.7	23.6	Watford,Oxford,Heathrow Airport,M1,M40,M4M25(W) Gatwick Airport,Dartford Crossing,M23,M20M25(E)	J6	Watford, Oxford, Heathrow Airport, M1, M40, M4 M25(W) Gatwick Airport, Dartford Crossing, M23, M20 M25(E)	51.6794°N 0.1250°E/51.6794; 0.1250(M11, Junction 6)
19.1	30.7	Chelmsford,HarlowA414	J7	Harlow A414	51.7432°N 0.1377°E/51.7432; 0.1377(M11, Junction 7)
22.6	36.3	HarlowA1025	J7A	HarlowA1025	51.7886°N 0.1704°E/51.7886; 0.1704(M11, Junction 7a)
28.9	46.5	Bishop's Stortford,Services,Colchester,StanstedA120	J8 Services	Bishop's Stortford, Services A120(W)	51.8717°N 0.1992°E/51.8717; 0.1992(M11, Junction 8)
29.2	47.0	No access	J8A	Stansted, Colchester A120(E)	51.8689°N 0.1972°E/51.8689; 0.1972(M11, Junction 8a)
		EnteringEssex		EnteringCambridgeshire
43.3	69.7	No access	J9	Newmarket,Norwich,IpswichM11 (A11).	52.0587°N 0.1891°E/52.0587; 0.1891(M11, Junction 9)
29.2	47.0	No access	J9A	Saffron Walden, Cambridge South, Haverhill A1301, B184, B1383. Spur continues as A11.	52.0759°N 0.1931°E/52.0759; 0.1931(M11, Junction 9a)
45.9	73.9	Saffron Walden,Duxford,Haverhill, SuffolkA505	J10	Royston,Duxford A505	52.0986°N 0.1381°E/52.0986; 0.1381(M11, Junction 10)
50.8	81.7	RoystonA10 CambridgeA1309	J11	HarstonA10 CambridgeA1309	52.1602°N 0.1034°E/52.1602; 0.1034(M11, Junction 11)
53.4	85.9	Cambridge,SandyA603	J12	Cambridge, Sandy A603	52.1894°N 0.0743°E/52.1894; 0.0743(M11, Junction 12)
55.1	88.6	No access	J13	Cambridge,BedfordA1303	52.2118°N 0.0776°E/52.2118; 0.0776(M11, Junction 13)
56.2	90.4	St NeotsA428	J14	Newmarket A14 Ely (A10)	52.2306°N 0.0707°E/52.2306; 0.0707(M11, J14)
		Start of motorway,Non-motorway traffic:Cambridge,NewmarketA14		Road continues north asA14towards The Midlands, which then becomes theM6 motorwaytowards The North West, and finally, theA74(M)inScotland,and ends inGlasgow.	52.2404°N 0.0581°E/52.2404; 0.0581(M11, Start of motorway)

In popular culture

Life in the Fast Lane: The No M11 Story(1995) is a documentary film that recounts the story of the No M11 Campaign.

See also

• List of motorways in the United Kingdom

Notes and references

Notes

References

External links

Geographic data related toM11 motorwayatOpenStreetMap

Template:Attached KML/M11 motorway

KML is from Wikidata

• CBRD Motorway Database – M11
• The Motorway Archive – M11
• "Stansted M11 Corridor Study".Colin Buchanan Partners. December 2003. p. 137. Archived fromthe originalon 17 September 2009.Retrieved2 March2010.