The Highways Agency has announced its engineers are set to embark on the final phase of improvement works for the carriageway at junction 41 of the M1.

Beginning on November 10th, the final stage of improvements as part of major works to remove a bottleneck for travellers in the area will get underway, with the £4 million project scheduled to take approximately two weeks to complete.

It will see overnight closures for the carriageway each evening between the hours of 20:00 and 06:00 GMT, as agency staff carry out a range of works in the area.

These will include widening of the A650 north and southbound approaches to the motorway to three lanes, as well as the widening of both slip roads to three lanes and the creation of three lanes over nearby bridge structures to generate more capacity for the route.

In addition, the project will involve the installation of new signage to better inform road users, while an improved link for cyclists to Bradford Road is also being created.

Highways Agency project manager David Pilsworth said: "Drivers will soon benefit from the improvements being made on the M1 at 41 junction near Wakefield.

"The closures are critical for surfacing work to take place. We are carrying out the work at night in order to minimise any disruption to drivers and during the work clearly signed diversion routes will be in place."

Once complete, the project will significantly reduce levels of congestion in the area during peak travel times, as well as improving safety for all road users.

Overall, £317 million has been invested by the government into the tackling of bottlenecks across the UK's transport network, with the ongoing Pinch Point Programme aimed at both reducing levels of congestion and providing a boost to local economies through the work it is carrying out.