The UK's fifth most congested stretch of road. Serves as a trunk through route between southern England (and the West Midlands) and the North-East. Traffic converging from the M69 and M18 also creates a natural bottleneck here. Local commuter traffic is increasing from Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, Chesterfield and Sheffield. There is also traffic for East Midlands airport, plus drivers heading for the North West wanting to avoid congestion on the M6 through the West Midlands by using the A50 from junction 24/ 24A.

A proposal to widen this stretch, with associated junction improvements and climbing lanes, was announced by Transport Secretary Alistair Darling in December 2002.