Highways England has confirmed that work has started on the next stage of its £112m scheme to upgrade the M1 to a smart motorway.

Contractors for the Government-owned body have installed narrow lanes and a 50mph speed limit between junction 32 (Rotherham) and junction 34 (Sheffield) while they add gantries to allow the introduction of variable speed limits.

As part of the project to upgrade the motorway, equipment to monitor traffic levels, provide traffic information to road users, and ease congestion by using variable speed limits on overhead signs has been installed.

Highways England has also converted the hard shoulder into an extra lane between junction 32 and junction 35a (Stocksbridge) to provide extra capacity.

“Work on the scheme is progressing well and we are now in a position to start the work between junctions 32 and 34. Narrow lanes are being introduced along the route and a 50mph speed limit is in place for the safety of workers and drivers,” said Highways England’s senior manager, Andy Kirk.

He added: “When complete, road users will benefit from reduced congestion and more reliable journey times as a result of the hard shoulder being converted to an extra lane and variable mandatory speed limits being used to keep traffic moving.”