The M1 has reopened between Barnsley and Hoyland after an overnight crash prompted a near 12-hour closure.
Emergency services were called to the scene between junctions 37 and 36 just after midnight following reports a car had left the carriageway in a “serious collision”.
The road was initially shut in both directions due to the severity of the incident, National Highways said, adding that collision and forensic investigation needed to be carried out with daylight.
The northbound and southbound carriageway closures have since been fully lifted, a spokesperson confirmed.
The earlier road closure severely affected some nearby businesses.
Autumn, the owner of Daisy’s Diner, said she had to close for the day after being caught in the delays.
She explained that her usual 30 to 45-minute commute from Maltby in Rotherham to the cafe in Sheffield Road in Barnsley took more than an hour-and-a-half on Thursday morning.
“By the time I’d have got to the cafe it would’ve been around 11:00 to 11:30 GMT and I close at 13:30, so there would’ve been next to no point of opening for the couple of hours.”
Ann Kelly, general manager at the Holiday Inn Express near junction 37, said her usual nine-minute journey to work took an hour-and-a-half because of the closure.
“It was bumper to bumper for miles and miles,” she said.
“Sitting in traffic, yes it’s a bind, but it’s the people who are affected you’ve got to think about.”
