Link road

Highways England has opened a new link road at the Catthorpe Interchange in an effort to improve the journeys for thousands of drivers travelling from the A14 to the M6 motorway in the UK.

As part of the M1 Junction 19 Catthorpe improvement scheme, the A14 to M6 westbound traffic will be moved onto the new link road, significantly reducing traffic at this bottle-neck and improving journeys for some of the 142,000 vehicles that pass through the junction every day.

Highways England project manager Ivan Marriott said: "The opening of the new A14 to M6 westbound link road is a big step forward in this scheme, and one that will see drivers starting to feel a real difference when passing through the junction.

"The opening of the new A14 to M6 westbound link road is a big step forward in this scheme."

"I’d like to remind drivers to drive carefully as they get used to this new link and to stick to the speed limit to keep themselves and our road workers safe."

Initiated last year, the scheme aims to improve Junction 19 of the M1, along with sections of the M6 and the A14 within the counties of Leicestershire and Northamptonshire, improving journey reliability, boosting safety, and relieving congestion, once completed.

According to the government-owned company, the M6 northbound entry slip road from the western roundabout at Catthorpe interchange will be closed permanently from 16 October.

Local traffic and M1 drivers willing to join the M6 northbound will be required to use alternative routes to access the M6 at Junction 1.

Developed in 1994, Catthorpe Interchange is located at southern end of the M6, the western end of the A14 and Junction 19 of the M1 near Catthorpe in Leicestershire, and currently handles 100,000 vehicles a day.

Image: The new link road will improve the journeys for some of the 142,000 vehicles that pass through the M1 Junction 19 in Leicestershire, UK. Photo: courtesy of Highways England/ © Crown copyright.