Drivers are being warned that new 24-7 speed cameras on the M1 have been switched on - and they are soon set be installed near East Midlands Airport.
The new section of smart motorway, which runs from junction 19 to junction 16 for Northampton, is now fully operational, says Highways England, including the speed cameras. The same system will be installed on the stretch of the M1 around the airport, which is also being turned into smart motorway.
Major roadworks are under way to convert the M1 stretch between junctions 23A at East Midlands Airport in Castle Donington up to and junction 25 for the A52 for Derby and Nottingham into a smart motorway.
Smart motorway is when the hard shoulder is turned into an extra lane, which are monitored from a control centre, where staff use overhead signs on the route to warn drivers of any lane closures, speed restrictions or issues to keep the traffic flowing.
This also means that when the works are completed, anyone travelling at more than 70mph could also land themselves with a hefty fine as they will be snapped by the 24-7 cameras there.
The smart motorway is being installed in a bid to keep traffic flowing on busy stretches, including the section around the airport.
A spokesman for Highways England said of the Northampton scheme: "With the bulk of the work now complete, the full route between junctions 19 and 16 is now operating at speeds of up to 70mph and has an extra lane in both directions to provide more capacity, new overhead signage and signals to give drivers more information, and variable speed limits which will help to smooth traffic flows.
"The final phase of works is to carry out resurfacing at junction 19 and essential repair work to maintain the bridge joints on the River Avon viaduct, to ensure that drivers continue to have safe and reliable journeys. This work will be undertaken between now and April, at night, when the road is at its quietest."
It comes after it was revealed that the new cameras between Tibshelf services in Derbyshire on the M1 and junction 29A at Duckmanton on the stretch of smart motorway there were the most profitable in the county in 2017.
The four cameras caught 8,382 drivers – with the fastest recorded at an eye-watering 128mph.
The M1 was converted into a smart motorway between junctions 28, for Matlock and Mansfield, and 31, for Sheffield and Clowne, in June 2016.
