M42 motorway

The M42 is a motorway in the Midlands of England. It runs northeast from the M5 near Bromsgrove, Worcestershire to near Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire. It runs south of the West Midlands conurbation, going through Solihull and Birmingham Airport. Here, it crosses the M6 motorway. It then goes past Coleshill and then past Tamworth, before ending. At the end of the motorway, just south of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, it becomes the A42.

M42 motorway shield
M42 motorway
M42 A45 junction 10y07.JPG
Looking south towards junction 6
Route information
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Maintained by Highways England
Length40.0 mi (64.4 km)
Existed1976–present
HistoryOpened: 1976
Completed: 1989
Major junctions
Southwest endCatshill
Major intersectionsUK-Motorway-M5.svg
M5 motorway
Junction 3a.svg UK-Motorway-M40.svg
J3a → M40 motorway
Junction 7.svg UK-Motorway-M6.svg
J7 → M6 motorway
Junction 7a.svg UK-Motorway-M6.svg
M6 motorway
Junction 8.svg UK-Motorway-M6.svg
M6 motorway
Junction 9.svg UK-Motorway-M6 Toll.svg
M6 Toll
Northeast endAppleby Magna
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Road network
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The road was first built in the 1970s, and was built to make a motorway between the East and West Midlands. It is now also used as part of a ring road around Birmingham nicknamed the "Birmingham Box". It is made up of parts of the M5, M6, and M42 motorways.[1]

Junctions

M42 motorway junctions
mile km Southbound exits (A carriageway) Junction Northbound exits (B carriageway) Coordinates
0.0
0.9
0.0
1.4
The NORTH WEST, Birmingham (W, N & C), Stourbridge, (M6) M5(N)
The SOUTH WEST, Worcester M5(S)
M5 J4A Start of motorway 52°20′53″N 2°04′28″W / 52.348029°N 2.074571°W / 52.348029; -2.074571 (M42, Start of motorway)
1.4
1.6
2.3
2.6
Bromsgrove A38 J1 No access (on-slip only) 52°21′20″N 2°02′45″W / 52.355618°N 2.045828°W / 52.355618; -2.045828 (M42, J1)
5.6
6.0
9.0
9.6
Birmingham (S) A441
Hopwood Park services
J2
Services
Birmingham (S) A441
Hopwood Park services
52°21′43″N 1°56′56″W / 52.361843°N 1.948872°W / 52.361843; -1.948872 (M42, J2)
8.4 13.5 Entering Worcestershire J3 Birmingham (S), Redditch, Evesham A435 52°21′18″N 1°53′09″W / 52.354897°N 1.885893°W / 52.354897; -1.885893 (M42, J3)
8.8 14.1 Birmingham (S), Redditch, Evesham A435 Entering Warwickshire
11.7
12.2
18.8
19.7
End of variable speed limit   J3A
(TOTSO NB)
[coord 1]
Start of variable speed limit   52°20′55″N 1°48′41″W / 52.348593°N 1.811435°W / 52.348593; -1.811435 (M42, J3A)
London, Warwick, Stratford M40 London, Warwick, Stratford M40
Entering Warwickshire Entering West Midlands 52°21′46″N 1°48′15″W / 52.36288°N 1.80429°W / 52.36288; -1.80429
14.2
14.5
22.8
23.3
Shirley A34 J4 Shirley A34 52°22′47″N 1°47′11″W / 52.379699°N 1.786523°W / 52.379699; -1.786523 (M42, J4)
16.5
16.9
26.6
27.2
Solihull A41 J5 Solihull A41 52°24′19″N 1°45′00″W / 52.405142°N 1.750045°W / 52.405142; -1.750045 (M42, J5)
19.9
20.3
32.1
32.7
Birmingham (E), Birmingham International  , Birmingham  , N.E.C., Coventry A45 J6 Birmingham (E), Birmingham International  , Birmingham  , N.E.C. A45(W)

Coventry (S & W), N.E.C. A45(E)

52°26′42″N 1°42′36″W / 52.445064°N 1.709898°W / 52.445064; -1.709898 (M42, J6)
22.1
22.6
35.6
36.4
No access (on-slip only) J7
[coord 2]
The NORTH WEST, Birmingham (C & N) M6(N) 52°28′26″N 1°42′41″W / 52.473776°N 1.711485°W / 52.473776; -1.711485 (M42, J7)
Entering West Midlands Entering Warwickshire 52°28′28″N 1°42′41″W / 52.47441°N 1.71139°W / 52.47441; -1.71139
22.7
22.9
36.6
36.8
No access J7A
(TOTSO SB)
[coord 3]
London (M1), Coventry M6 52°28′53″N 1°42′37″W / 52.481473°N 1.710262°W / 52.481473; -1.710262 (M42, J7A)
London (N & E) (M1), Coventry (N & E) M6 No access (on-slip only) 52°29′28″N 1°42′54″W / 52.491195°N 1.715112°W / 52.491195; -1.715112 (M42, J7B)
24.5 39.4 Birmingham (Central, E, N & W) M6(N) J8 No access (on-slip only) 52°30′33″N 1°43′32″W / 52.509143°N 1.725497°W / 52.509143; -1.725497 (M42, J8)
No access (on slip only) J9 The NORTH WEST, Cannock, Lichfield M6 Toll 52°31′45″N 1°43′47″W / 52.529277°N 1.729617°W / 52.529277; -1.729617 (M42, J8A)
26.7 42.9 Start of variable speed limit   Kingsbury A4097, Lichfield A446 52°32′20″N 1°43′35″W / 52.538818°N 1.726313°W / 52.538818; -1.726313 (M42, J9)
The NORTH WEST M6 Toll, Coleshill A446, A4097 End of variable speed limit  
32.4 52.2 Nuneaton, Tamworth A5, Lichfield (A38)
Tamworth services
J10
Services
Nuneaton, Tamworth A5
Tamworth services
52°36′12″N 1°38′30″W / 52.603334°N 1.641576°W / 52.603334; -1.641576 (M42, J10)
Entering Warwickshire Entering Leicestershire 52°40′19″N 1°33′40″W / 52.67201°N 1.56122°W / 52.67201; -1.56122
39.7 63.9 Start of motorway   J11
[coord 4]
Burton upon Trent, Measham A444 52°41′20″N 1°32′54″W / 52.688987°N 1.548450°W / 52.688987; -1.548450 (M42, J11)
40.0 64.4 Nuneaton A444
Non-motorway traffic
End of motorway  
Road continues as
A42 towards East Midlands Airport
52°41′35″N 1°32′50″W / 52.692928°N 1.547098°W / 52.692928; -1.547098 (M42, J11)
Notes
  • Distances in kilometres and carriageway identifiers are taken from driver location signs/location marker posts. Where a junction goes across several hundred metres and the data is available, both the start and finish values for the junction are shown.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Coordinates

References

  1. "M42 and A42". Roads. Retrieved 15 June 2020.