It continues north-east towards the city centre as a freeway, passing Ormonde and Booysens, and meets the M2 highway (Francis Oberholzer Freeway) at the Crown Interchange (which is immediately south-west of the Johannesburg CBD).[2]: 107 The M1 then proceeds north-north-east through the leafy northern suburbs of Johannesburg such as Parktown, and the industrial area separating Sandton and Alexandra.[2]: 84
The part of the M1 in Sandton, between Corlett Drive and the Buccleuch Interchange is maintained by SANRAL. Signage and extra lanes have been upgraded in 2010 with the "Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project" (GFIP). The section between Corlett Drive and a portion south of the CBD is maintained by the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA)[3] with the remainder to the South also maintained by the provincial government.[citation needed] The northern section[clarification needed] maintained by the Gauteng Provincial Government is also designated the P206-1.
Speed limits, which are strictly enforced, change as one gets nearer to the centre of Johannesburg, from 100 km/h in the northern section, beginning at the Buccleuch interchange, finally dropping to 80 km/h near the city centre. South of the CBD, the speed limit again increases. Before an upgrade in 2012, the speed limit was 120 km/h on the provincial government maintained stretch in Sandton, dropping to 100 km/h as it ran through the Northern Suburbs of Johannesburg (from the start of the JRA maintained section before Corlett Drive). However, subsequent to rehabilitation work in 2012, the limit in the northern section was also dropped to 100 km/h.
History
Background
Aerial view from the north
Both the M1 and M2 motorways have their beginnings in a 1948 traffic planning scheme developed by the Johannesburg City Council and examined by American traffic engineering consultant Lloyd B. Reid in 1954.[4]: 577 Two 10-year plans examined among other things the idea of new urban motorways and improving existing highways. The plan called for two motorways, one running east–west along the southern CBD and the other running to north–south on the western side of the CBD.[4]: 577 The plan was linked to national and provincial governments plan by the National Transport Commission for the Western and Eastern Bypasses, the future N1 and N3 in northern Johannesburg.[4]: 577
The plan for the original motorway began in Bramley at Corlett Drive and headed south through Killarney and Parktown before cutting through the ridge between the University of the Witwatersrand and the Milner Park Agricultural Showgrounds and then over the Braamfontein railway yards through Newtown to the east–west interchange.[4]: 578 From there it would cross Crown Mines land and head southwards past Robertsham to another proposed interchange and future Western Bypass (N12) before ending at the beginning of the Kimberley Road.[4]: 577
Ground was broken for the new North-South Motorway on 28 May 1962 by Transport Minister Ben Schoeman, Administrator of the Transvaal, F.H. Odendaal and Johannesburg Mayor, Keith Flemming, just north of the Braamfontein Yards, site of the first bridge on the elevated motorway.[4]: 579 The first section would be opened in the CBD in 1967 and rest of the motorway between 1972 and 1974.[4]: 579
A two three-lane motorway was planned with large medians for breakdowns, elevated in the Central business district (CBD) as it crossed the Braamfontein railway yards and then became a double-decker motorway south through to an interchange near Westgate where it met the East-West Motorway (M2).[4]: 578 The speed limit was set at between 80 km/h (50 mph) in the city, increased to 100 km/h (60 mph) and was set to reach 110 km/h (70 mph) the further one proceeded from the CBD.[4]: 578
An early long-term motorway plan was envisaged for a future Johannesburg. The first was a north–south motorway of 18.4 km stretching from Westgate just south of the Johannesburg CBD to connect up with the existing main Pretoria Road, 5.6 km outside the Johannesburg municipal boundary in the northern suburbs.[5]: 328 The Westgate section would connect up with an east/west motorway running just south of the Johannesburg CBD.[5]: 328 A third section involved the reconfiguration of roads to form an eastern CBD bypass connecting the north–south motorway with Saratoga Avenue.[5]: 328
1958
Improvements began on Harrow Road (Joe Slovo Drive) to widen and deepen the road and included new bridges crossing over it at Joel Road, Alexandra Street and Barnato Street.[5]: 328 Where Harrow Street met Louis Botha Avenue in Berea, this was to become an underpass of the latter.[5]: 328 At the southern end of Harrow Road, a flyover would cross Saratoga Avenue and would eventually connect with the redesigned Siemert and Sivewright Roads.[5]: 328
1959
Planning began for six-lane bridge that would have to cross the Braamfontein Railway Yard and would be part of the M1 motorway to connect the city with its northern and southern suburbs.[5]: 328
1962
Construction finally began in 1962 on the Braamfontein Railway Bridge in Braamfontein required to connect the future M1 north and southern motorways.[5]: 329 The Johannesburg City Engineer Department began its planning for the M1 motorway, that included a motorway from the Braamfontein Railway Bridge under construction, south to a future Westgate Interchange and included a double-decker section above Goch Street.[5]: 329
The construction on the Sivewright Road / Berea Street and the Siemert Road / End Street reconfiguration, important to connecting the future eastern bypass connecting the M1 in the northern suburbs at the proposed Killarney interchange with the M2 East at the proposed Heidelberg Interchange, was nearing completion.[5]: 329 Both road reconfigurations were situated in Doornfontein, east of the Johannesburg CBD.
1963
The Johannesburg City Engineer Department continued its engineering work on plans for Goch Street double-decker section of the future M1 North route.[5]: 329 Planning also started on a future M1 South bridge and interchange at Xavier Street in Robertsham.[5]: 329
1964
Johannesburg City Engineer Department's planning was completed on the Goch Street double-decker section on the future M1 northern route. The design called for a 1,100 m section made up of a 500m double-decker motorway and two 300m sections on either end of the main section.[5]: 329
Planning begun on the M1 motorway, heading northwards, in Braamfontein to construct a cutting through what then was known as the University Ridge.[5]: 329 This route would separate the Witwatersrand Agricultural Society grounds and the University of Witwatersrand. Also planned was a forty-metre bridge allowing Showground Road (now Enoch Sontonga Avenue) to cross the new motorway slightly south of the new cutting.[5]: 329
Other essential road changes became important in accessing the planned motorways. Booysens Road was widened to become a dual carriageway to connect with the future M1 on its southern route.[5]: 329 The Harrow Road (Joe Slovo Drive) scheme was completed.[5]: 329 Work continued on the Berea-Sivewright motorway bypass works.[5]: 329
1965-1966
On the M1 motorway northern route, contracts were awarded for work from Braamfontein through University Ridge to Rockridge Road in Parktown. As the motorway was to cross under Jan Smuts Avenue on this section, work was begun on an underpass.[5]: 331 Work that had started on the eastern-bypass, the Berea-Sivewright Street section, was completed.
At the southern end of the M1 Goch Street double-decker section, work began on the Westgate Interchange that would connect the M1 and M2 motorways, but work was problematic when mine workings below the site became an issue.[5]: 331
On the M1 southern section, work was begun on the Xavier Street Bridge and the Crown Gardens Interchange.[5]: 331 While on the M1 northern section just past the end of the new Braamfontein Railway bridge, work started on the Smit Street Interchange in Braamfontein.[5]: 331
1968
On the M1 North, the Goch Street double decker and its two ends, a connection to a future Westgate Interchange and Braamfontein Railway bridge, were completed. Kimberly Road reconfiguration was also completed and would connect the road to the M1 South at the southern end of the motorway on the latter's completion. Work on the Siemert Road / End Street route making up part of the eastern bypass was completed. Empire Road and Oxford Road's connections to the M1 northern route had been realigned and re-orientated.
1969
In March 1969, the 2.4 km West Street to Braamfontein connection begun on the remaining sections, costing R10.3 million of which the land cost R2 million, that would connect both the M1 and M2.[5]: 331 During October 1969, the M1 northern motorway section from De Korte Street in Braamfontein to Sherbourne Avenue, Parktown was opened.[5]: 332
1970
In February 1970 the Smit Street off-ramp, just north of Braamfontein Railway Bridge, opened connecting the M1 to Braamfontein.[5]: 332 Project work on part of the eastern bypass to connect the M1 North with M2 east was completed on Siemert Road and End Street and was awaiting the completion of the Heidelberg Interchange.[5]: 332
1971
In January 1971 construction started on the last section of the M1 northern motorway from Parktown to Bramley.[5]: 332 Construction of the Crown Interchange on the M1/M2 was postponed when the tenders received were consider too expensive.[5]: 332 Work began on improving the roads connecting to the M1 on Oxford Avenue, Corlett Drive and Jan Smuts Avenue in Rosebank.[5]: 332
1972
More motorway on the M1 north was opened extending it from Parktown to Houghton when the 11th Avenue (R25) offramps were completed.[5]: 332 The Crown Interchange tender on the M1/M2 was finally awarded and a completion date set for 1974.[5]: 332 Heidelberg Interchange on the M2 eastern section was opened and connected the eastern CBD bypass to the M1 in the northern suburbs.[5]: 332
1973
M1 in the northern suburbs was extended from Houghton's 11th Avenue (R25) offramp to Glenhove Road in Oaklands.[5]: 332 Part of the Crown Interchange connecting to the Westgate Interchange was now open.[5]: 332 Work on the M1 South from the Crown Interchange was under construction.[5]: 332
1974
M1 in the northern suburbs was now completed to Bramley at Corlett Drive and connected the motorway and Johannesburg to the Provincial and National government's N1 Ben Schoeman Highway and Pretoria.[5]: 333 The M1 South was finally connected to Kimberley Road (now the R553 Golden Highway) on 16 August 1974.[6]: 349
Final cost
The final cost of the twelve-year M1 and M2 project was R85.5 million through the awarding of twenty-seven contracts. The Provincial and National government's contributed R21 million of the final cost while land acquisitions represented 19% of the final cost. The project moved 8.3 million cubic metres of land made up of 0.3 million cubic metres of rock, 8 million cubic metres of slime and earth. Eighty new bridges were constructed, and ten mine dumps moved. Seventy kilometres of drainage pipes were laid and 500,000 cubic metres of concreted poured.
Northbound exit, Southbound entry - M1 ends and route continues as the N1 Ben Schoeman Highway
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
Traffic
The M1 Motorway, after it opened in 1974, was already carrying around 40,000 vehicles a day in each direction while near the central CBD area, 5,500 vehicles per hour were being recorded.[6]: 349
Congestion
The M1 experiences significant traffic congestion during a typical rush hour. Several public transport systems, including bus rapid transit and the Gautrain railway system aim to alleviate some of the traffic on the M1.
^ abcdefghiShorten, John R. (1970). The Johannesburg Saga. Johannesburg: John R. Shorten Pty Ltd. p. 1159.
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaaabacadaeafagahaiaj"The Johannesburg City Engineer's Department - a century of dedication". Civil Engineering = Siviele Ingenieurswese. 28 (9): 325–335. September 1986 – via Sabinet.
^ ab"Some highlights from the Municipalities". Civil Engineering = Siviele Ingenieurswese. 16 (11): 349. November 1974 – via Sabinet.
N1 Western Bypass and 
N3 Eastern Bypass near Buccleuch
R55 Woodmead Drive
M60 Marlboro Drive
M40 Grayston Drive
M30 Corlett Drive
M31 Atholl-Oaklands Road
M20 Glenhove Road Extension
R25 11th Avenue (M1 Northbound only)
M16 Riviera Road
M9 Oxford Road (M1 Northbound Only)
M27 Jan Smuts Avenue
M71 Empire Road
M10 Smit Street
M2 Village Road Selby and M2 Motorway
M17 Xavier Road
R553 Golden Highway (M1 Southbound Only)
N12 Uncle Charlies Interchange (M1 Southbound Only)
M68 Columbine Avenue
R82 in Meredale, Johannesburg
.jpg)
