Engineering the UK motorway system 1950–2000

The creation of the UK motorway network in the last half of the twentieth century facilitated a dramatic improvement in the mobility of people and goods, and contributed greatly to the prosperity we enjoy today. Drawing on material collected by the Motorway Archive Trust, this paper begins with examples of advances in procedures for designing motorway alignments and provision of earthworks before moving on to pavement and bridge design; finally there is consideration of how the motorway system is operated, both in normal traffic conditions and at roadworks. Overall, the paper aims to provide an insight into engineering problems encountered and overcome in the building of the motorways through a selection of examples that, though necessarily limited by space, are broadly representative.