Motorways

Motorways used to be really simple. Now they have electronic signals, variable speed limits, emergency lay-bys, part-time hard shoulders... Just what is so smart about Smart Motorways?

Those funny black and yellow symbols are everywhere - and they might just get you back on track one day.

If you're on the motorway (in England at least) you might have noticed some funny blue signs down the side of the road. What are they for?

The very first motorway was eight miles of relief for the Lancashire town of Preston. It goes without saying that there's an interesting story to be told about it.

The M621 has one junction where everything leaves the motorway and heads for the city, and a very bizarre junction it is too.

A civil engineer, working principally in the North West of England, responsible for many of the area's motorways.

A gallery of images sent in by visitors to the site of original photos of motorways — including some impressive views of the M4 and M11 under construction.

Those last few miles of the M1 east of Leeds were completed in 1999. It looks for the most part like a fairly average piece of road, but one of the project's engineers describes some of the challenges that were faced.

What happens when there's a big accident on a trunk route? Who picks up the pieces, and why does it take so long?