M11 Traffic News

The M11 motorway stretches for 52 miles, providing a link from the East Anglia region of the UK to east London.

It starts at South Woodford, which is Junction 4 of the motorway, and then the M11 traffic flows through Essex. It runs past Harlow, Bishop’s Stortford, Duxford and Saffron Walden before skirting past the renowned university city of Cambridge and ending just north of that, at Girton. Motorists then continue on the A14.

The M11 motorway may only be relatively short in length but it’s a major road in many senses. Not only does it serve as the primary route from the east of the UK to Essex and into London, it carries the vast majority of traffic heading to Stansted Airport.

Quirks of the M11 include the fact that there are no junctions numbered 1, 2 and 3 as these were initially reserved for a inner road section inside London. Also, there is only one service station. Birchanger Green Services, located off Junction 8, is the one-stop shop for all the M11 traffic.

Worst Junctions on the M11

As the M11 serves some busy areas in this region of the UK, certain junctions experience heavy congestion. If you’re driving on this motorway, ensure you’re up to date with the latest M11 travel news and traffic updates, which will help to avoid delays to your journey. Junctions that are regularly busy include:

Junction 14

This junction marks the end of the motorway and therefore sees a build-up of M11 traffic as vehicles move onto the A14, or the A428 to then reach the A1. It’s a very busy interchange.

Junction 6

Tthis junction is the interchange to move on to several of the UK’s major motorways, so traffic here can connect to the M1, M40, M4, M25, M20 and M23.

Junction 8

This junction not only serves as the entry point to the M11’s only service station, it’s also - more significantly - the exit for all traffic heading to Stansted Airport.

Accident Hotspots on the M11

Although motorway safety is much improved in modern times, accidents can and do occur without warning and at any time. To help stay safe, stay vigilant, drive responsibly and avoid getting caught up in the aftermath of any accidents by using M11 traffic updates to learn of potential delays and issues.

The area around Harlow - junction 7 - is considered an accident hotspot, while the stretch of motorway between junctions eight and nine sees heavy traffic and is a high-risk spot. A crash there in 2011 involving a coach resulted in multiple injuries and M11 traffic came to a halt as the road was closed in both directions.

Upcoming M11 Major Roadworks

Drivers should always make allowances for roadworks when planning journey time, taking into account any existing work that could result in delays - M11 traffic updates can help with that. There are also upcoming M11 major roadworks to be aware of. These include:

Junction 14 to 12 - this is a maintenance and improvement project, including bridge and embankment repairs at Girton Interchange, new slip road markings and lighting upgrades. There is no confirmed start or end date as yet.

Junctions 6 to 8 - another maintenance scheme, these roadworks will improve the surface of the road between junctions 6 and 8 - some of the busiest on the M11. Also planned are repairs to the embankment, and replacement of messaging for drivers. Start and end dates are still to be finalised.

Junctions 9 to 11 - planned roadworks include safety barrier renewals between junctions 9 to 10 and the renewal of road marking at junction 9. Start date to be confirmed.