MVM won the contract to widen 23km of motorway between Sandiacre at J25 and Pinxton at J28 by using the hard shoulder to create four lanes and adding a new hard shoulder.
 
All the work will be within the existing Highways Agency land boundary and there will be no work at any junctions except where the sliproads meet the motorway.
 
The project is due to start in Summer 2007 with draft orders for Phase 2 of the scheme, between J21 and J25 and J28 to J30, published in 2008 with work due to start in 2010. These plans include improvements at the junctions and a new bypass for Kegworth.
 
Roads Minister Dr Stephen Ladyman said: "Drivers rely on the M1 as one of the main routes linking London with the Midlands and the North. It carries up to 150,000 vehicles a day, yet when it was built in the 1960s it was designed for 67,000 vehicles a day. Extra lanes are needed because it is significantly congested, especially at peak times."