The M1 begins in Mpika, at a junction with the T2 Road. It begins by leaving the town in a northwesterly direction and it proceeds northwards, through the villages of the new Kanchibiya District, to enter the Northern Province and cross the Chambeshi River at the town of Chandesi. At Chandesi, there is a road going eastwards providing access to the city of Chinsali. The road proceeds northwards to enter the city of Kasama. The distance from Mpika to Kasama is 214 Kilometres. At a 4-way-junction in Kasama Central, next to the Kasama Golf Club, as the road westwards is the M3 Road to the town of Mansa, the M1 becomes the road northwards from this junction by way of a right turn. At the junction with Milungu Road, the M1 meets a road which provides access to Mungwi District in the east. The M1 continues northwards for 165 Kilometres, through Nseluka and Senga Hill, to the town of Mbala. It reaches its terminus at a t-junction with the M2 Road, which goes to the Lake Tanganyika port of Mpulungu in the west and to a border with Tanzania in the east.
The M1 Road was part of the original Great North Road of Zambia, which ran first as the T2 Road from Lusaka northwards, continuing by a right turn at Kapiri Mposhi, via a left turn in Mpika to become the M1 Road, to Mbala. But today, The M1 Route from Mpika to Mbala is referred to as the Old Great North Road. This is because the continuation of the T2 from Lusaka, passed Mpika, through Nakonde into Tanzania provides easier access to important towns in Tanzania, including Arusha and the Dar es Salaamsea port for trade. The T2 continuation from Mpika to its end at the Tanzania border after Nakonde is part of the Tanzam Highway, Cape to Cairo Road and Cairo-Cape Town Highway. As a result, it's a more recognized route internationally. But the M1 is still an important route to The Republic of Zambia, as it is the route transporters from the Mpulungu port at Lake Tanganyika use to access the rest of Zambia, transporting imported goods.
M2 Road
The M2 Road is the road which provides access to the town and port of Mpulungu. From the Lake Tanganyika port of Mpulungu, the M2 Road goes east-south-east for 38 kilometres to reach its junction with the M1 Road in Mbala, next to the Mbala Airport. From the M1 northern terminus, the M2 goes north-east for 26 kilometres to end at a border with Tanzania where it becomes the B8 Road to Sumbawanga in the Rukwa Region.
