M1 diversion near East Midlands Airport expected to cause delays this weekend
Travellers flying from East Midlands Airport should factor in delays to their journey
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Junctions 23A and 24 of the M1 in Leicestershire will be closed from 22.00 on Friday until 15.00 on Sunday.
The diversion, which was announced in March, is taking place to enable a bridge to be installed for the new Kegworth bypass.
The closure is expected to cause delays for travellers using East Midlands Airport this weekend, as well as Fulham FC fans heading south after their team’s away match against Derby County at the Pride Park Stadium on Friday night.
Tom Greatrex, chairman of the Fulham Supporters Trust, told the BBC it would make more sense if the road was closed an hour later.
“It’s not Highways England’s fault as the game has been scheduled at short notice on a Friday night, but I thought it might make a bit of sense to avoid a whole load of chaos by starting an hour later,” he said.
“The closure is going to start at 10 o’clock and at about quarter to ten, roughly, there will be about 30,000 other people coming out of the Derby ground.
“I would expect a chunk of those would normally be heading towards the M1 by car.”
A spokesperson from Segro, which is leading on the project, said: “Given the high level of planning and coordination involved in this project, we regret that we can't change the timings this close to start of the operation.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments