M1 JUNCTION 12 WIDENING | BEDFORDSHIRE

LECA® LWA lightens the load for M1 widening

Widening the 15 mile section of M1 motorway between Junctions 10, south of Luton, and Junction 13 at Milton Keynes demanded the lightweight, free draining properties of LECA® LWA

Two 150 metre long embankments either side of the existing motorway were expanded to carry improved approaches for a new bridge structure at Junction 12. The substrate was found to be of poor quality clay that would not support traditional fill without extensive and expensive excavation. LECA® LWA was identified as the ideal solution to achieve the levels required and provide the stability and drainage necessary to carry the new approach road construction, eliminating the requirement of costly excavation and removal of material from site.

Working on behalf of the Highways Agency; main contractor Costain Carillion JV and consulting engineers URS Scott Wilson were tasked with facilitating the increase in traffic capacity for this extremely busy section of the M1 by introducing the Hard Shoulder Running Scheme which involved improving the existing hard shoulder to motorway standard to support an additional traffic lane; for this to be successful improvements had to be made at both Junctions 11 & 12.