[citation needed] There were three proposed routes from the inner to outer ringway (North Circular) at the base of the current M11 and it is unclear which one was favoured.

Part of the unbuilt route of a southern section of the M11 is seen from a sliproad from the North Circular to the M11 which travels over a bridge over bare land.

It was announced in March 1975 that from junction 8 (Bishops Stortford/Stansted exit) to the northern terminus, (thus including the Cambridge western bypass) would not be "constructed to M1 standard".

The stated aims for this development are:[6][7] An official plan to add north-facing connections at junction 5 in Debden, Loughton was abandoned in 1998.

[8] The Highways Agency tabled proposals to upgrade the M11, between junction 6 and 8, from three lanes plus hard shoulder to four each way with an estimated cost of £698 million given in 2007.

South of this stretch, where the road runs on soft ground close to the River Roding, concrete was considered unsuitable owing to the looseness of the subsoil and the consequent risk of random cracking, so the surface here was of tarmac from the start.

[citation needed] There had been plans for a service station on the motorway as long ago as 1969, named Chigwell, between that village and Loughton, which led to the construction of spur roads and a restricted lorry park; during the London Olympics 2012 these were used as a works unit.

[citation needed] From the late 1990s onward, the concrete surface that had greatly degraded was progressively replaced with standard layers of tarmac, and drainage improvements were implemented at the same time.

By way of complementary plans for proposed expansion of Stansted Airport, the Highways Agency collaborated with BAA on improvements to transport access to the airport[11] including two proposals for the M11, one of which has been deemed unnecessary, junctions 6–8, see above and the other of which, including spur road and junction additions may be approved by the government if Stansted expansion takes place.

Findings from these showed that although the public had several concerns regarding environmental impact 57% of attendees agreed the scheme would be necessary if the Stansted Airport expansion proceeded.

[20][21] On 2 June 2002, a brake failure on an Aero L-39 Albatross landing at the Imperial War Museum Duxford caused the plane to run off the end of the runway and down an embankment onto the southbound carriageway of the motorway.

The trainee pilot was killed when he ejected at ground level, but the instructor survived the accident and no vehicles on the motorway were involved.

More recently, even though Duxford already met all licensing requirements, the declared length was reduced to 4,010 feet (1,220 m) to increase safety further than existing measures.