M1 drivers heading to Northampton warned of closure ALL THIS WEEKEND for 'smart' motorway work

Part of the M1 will be closed all weekend heading towards Northampton from Friday night (October 22) to make the tarmac lower.

A five-year project to turn a 24-mile stretch into a four-lane "smart" motorway is due to finally be completed in early 2023.

But a few hundred yards of the northbound carriageway needs to be dug out so that the highest vehicles can get under a bridge.

The northbound M1 will be closed from junction 14 at Milton Keynes to junction 15 at Northampton from 10pm tonight until 6am on Monday morning.

A spokesman for National Highways, which is carrying out the £373million project, said: "Specialist teams will be working to lower the road surface underneath Tongwell Lane Farm bridge, near Newport Pagnell.

"The bridge is currently too low for larger vehicles once this section of the M1 becomes a four-lane motorway.

"As you can imagine, this is a significant piece of work so unfortunately we have to close the road fully to undertake it safely but the work will be carried out over a single weekend, when the road is quieter, to minimise disruption.

"If we are able to complete the work quicker than expected, we will re-open the road and will advise motorists and the public through social media and the electronic signs on the motorway itself. "

Drivers are advised to allow extra time for their journey and stick to clearly signposted diversion routes to help keep traffic moving.