M42 junction 6

Latest updates

• 18 December 2024

  A4545 and M42 junction 5a open to traffic

  This morning the first cars left the M42 at the new junction 5a and made their way along the newly-opened A4545 link road.

  The road will increase capacity and provide an easier link to access not only Birmingham Airport, the NEC, Birmingham International Station and Birmingham Business Park, but also a more direct route to and from the A45 into Birmingham.

  Some traffic management will remain in place, including single lane running in each direction, which will allow us to safely continue infrastructure work on the A4545, and we expect the road to be fully open in spring 2025.

  By opening the road now, we’ll be able to improve traffic flow within the area which will be of particular benefit during the busy Christmas period.

  As one of the largest infrastructure projects in The Midlands, nearly 1 million cubic metres of soil have been moved to build the link road with most of it being used by nearby HS2 teams who have used it for fill requirements, saving on transportation and disposal costs.

  The road is also surrounded by one of the largest underground highways waste water systems in Europe.

  We still need to carry out work on roads, footpaths, cycle routes and infrastructure in order to fully complete the project.

  As we proceed into 2025, we’ll be focusing on improving access on and around junction 6.

  To continue our work safely, overnight closures will be place on the A45, parts of the junction 6 gyratory and M42 itself. We’ll continue to keep you informed via notifications, social media updates, and on this webpage.

  What is junction 5a and the A4545?

  M42 junction 5a is a new motorway junction approximately 1.8km south of the existing M42 junction 6. The junction connects to a new 2.4km dual carriageway link road, aligned to the west of Bickenhill.

  It runs from junction 5a to Clock Interchange roundabout, providing direct access from the M42 to Birmingham Airport and Birmingham Business Park, an alternative route to access the NEC and Resorts World, and a more direct route to connect to A45 westbound to Birmingham.

  We’d like to remind motorists to drive safely and familiarise themselves with the new road layout while everyone gets used to this major route.

  The layout of the new route can be found below:

  Map of new route

  How can we find out more?

  For more information, you can:

  • email us at: m42junction6@nationalhighways.co.uk
  • call us on: 0300 123 5000
  • You can also follow us on X and Facebook for up-to-date scheme information and updates on roadworks across the region.

• 03 December 2024

  Clock interchange closures

  In preparation for opening the new A4545 this month, we’ll be laying the final surface layer on Clock interchange.

  Closures

  To work safely, we'll need the following overnight (9pm to 5am) closures at Clock Interchange roundabout.

  We'll remove traffic management during the daytime.

  9 and 10 December 2024

  Southern half of the roundabout closed

  11 and 12 December

  Northern half of the roundabout closed

  Clearly signed diversion routes in place. Please plan ahead and allow more time for your journeys.

  Access to the airport by the airport link road remains unaffected.

  Please remember that closures can change at short notice. You can check the latest information on our daily closures page or find live travel information on our Traffic England. Our travel alerts give details of live incidents on our network.

  We apologise in advance for any inconvenience during these works. We're making every effort to keep noise down and minimise disruption.

• 22 November 2024

  Removal of narrow lanes between junction 5 and 6

  Over the last few weeks we’ve been carrying out work on the main carriageway and slip roads and next week we’ll be removing the narrow lanes that are in place between junctions 5 and 6.

  To amend traffic management safely, we’ll need some overnight closures of lanes and slip roads on the M42 between junctions 5 and 6.

  The following closures will be in place:

  Monday 25 to Wednesday 27 November

  • M42 lane 1 and 2 closure between junction 6 and 5 in both directions
  • M42 junction 6 southbound entry slip road lane 1 closure
  • M42 junction 5 northbound entry slip road full closure

  Thursday 28 November

  • M42 northbound full closure between junction 5 and 6

  Monday 2 December

  • M42 southbound full closure between junction 6 and 5

  Closures will be in place overnight (9pm to 5am) with clearly signed diversion routes in place. Please plan ahead and allow additional time for your journeys.

  Traffic Safety Control officers (TSCO) will work 24/7 to deal with any incidents as quickly as possible. We also provide a free recovery service for vehicles that break down within our works.

  Please remember that closures can change at short notice. You can check the latest information on our daily closures page or find live travel information on our Traffic England site. Our travel alerts give details of live incidents on our network.

  We apologise in advance for any inconvenience during these works. We're making every effort to keep noise down and minimise disruption.

• 11 November 2024

  Lane and slip road closures this week

  This week we’ll be carrying out work on slip roads.

  To carry out this work safely, we’ll need some overnight closures of lanes and slip roads on the M42 between junctions 5 and 6. The following closures will be in place:

  Monday 11 November:

  • M42 southbound lane 1 and 2 closure between junction 6 and 5
  • M42 junction 6 southbound entry slip road lane 1 closure

  Tuesday 12 and Wednesday 13 November:

  • M42 northbound lane 1 and 2 closure between junction 5 and 6
  • M42 junction 5 northbound entry slip road full closure

  Closures will be in place overnight (9pm to 5am) with clearly signed diversion routes in place. Please plan ahead and allow additional time for your journeys.

  Traffic Safety Control officers (TSCO) will work 24/7 to deal with any incidents as quickly as possible. We also provide a free recovery service for vehicles that break down within our works.

  Please remember that closures can change at short notice. You can check the latest information on our daily closures page or find live travel information on our Traffic England site. Our travel alerts give details of live incidents on our network.

  We apologise in advance for any inconvenience during these works. We're making every effort to keep noise down and minimise disruption.

   

• 22 October 2024

  Overhead gantry work

  We’ll be working on overhead gantries in October.

  To work safely, we'll need some overnight closures of the M42 junction 5 and 6 slip roads.

  The following closures are scheduled to take place:

  • Wednesday 23 October – M42 junction 6 southbound exit slip road
  • Thursday 24 October – M42 junction 6 southbound entry slip road
  • Friday 25 and Monday 28 October – M42 junction 5 northbound entry slip road

  Closures will be in place overnight (9pm to 5am). A clearly signed diversion route will be in place.

  This work may cause slight delays. If you're travelling along the M42 please plan ahead and allow additional time for your journey.

  Traffic Safety Control officers (TSCO) will work 24/7 to deal with any incidents as quickly as possible. We also provide a free recovery service for vehicles that break down within our works.

  Please remember that closures can change at short notice. You can check the latest information on our daily closures page or find live travel information on our Traffic England site. Our travel alerts give details of live incidents on our network.

  We apologise in advance for any inconvenience during these works. We're making every effort to keep noise down and minimise disruption.

   

• 08 October 2024

  Upcoming work on overhead gantries

  We’ll be working on overhead gantries in October.

  To work safely, we'll need some overnight closures of the M42 in both directions between junctions 5 and 6.

  Closures and diversions

  Monday 14 to Friday 18 October - M42 in both directions between junctions 5 and 6

  We'll close the road overnight (9pm to 5am). A clearly signed diversion route will be in place.

  M42 junction 5 to 6 diversion route map.

  This work may cause slight delays. If you're travelling along the M42 please plan ahead and allow additional time for your journey.

  Traffic Safety Control officers (TSCO) will work 24/7 to deal with any incidents as quickly as possible. We also provide a free recovery service for vehicles that break down within our works.

  Please remember that closures can change at short notice. You can check the latest information on our daily closures page or find live travel information on our Traffic England site. Our travel alerts give details of live incidents on our network.

  We apologise in advance for any inconvenience during these works. We're making every effort to keep noise down and minimise disruption.

• 20 September 2024

  Upcoming closures - A45 and junction 6 exit

  We need closures on the A45 and junction 6 roundabout to allow our teams to safely continue our upgrade work.

  Closures

  Monday 23 September -  A45 westbound link to Clock Interchange

  Roundabout closed from 8am, reopening 5am on Tuesday. 

  A45 westbound link to Clock Interchange diversion route.

  Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 September - A45 westbound from M42 J6 (including M42 J6 northbound exit slip road link road) to Clock Interchange

  Closed overnight from 10pm-5am. 

  A45 westbound from M42 J6 (including M42 J6 northbound exit slip road link road) to Clock Interchange diversion route.

  Please remember that closures can change at short notice. You can check the latest information on our daily closures page or find live travel information on our Traffic England site. Our travel alerts give details of live incidents on our network.

  We recommend you plan ahead and allow extra time for journeys, especially if you’re travelling to Birmingham Airport.

  We apologise in advance for any disruption you may experience and we’ll make every effort to ensure the impact on the local community and motorists is kept to a minimum.

  We always aim to work to the programme, however these closures may be amended due to poor weather or operational reasons.

  Find out more

  If you’d like more information about this upgrade scheme you can contact us by:

  • emailing M42Junction6@nationalhighways.co.uk
  • calling 0300 123 5000 (this line is available 24 hours a day)

  For the latest information about our scheme and upcoming roadworks you can follow us on X (formerly Twitter) (@HighwaysWMIDS) and find us on Facebook (National Highways: West Midlands).

• 13 August 2024

  An update on our programme of work

  While our work to deliver critical safety and capacity improvements to M42 junction 6 is continuing, we’re making a change to our programme of work on the scheme, brought about by the views of our key stakeholders and feedback from road users. The change involves the construction timetable of the new East Free Flow Link and means we’ll finish the overall project in winter 2025 instead of spring 2025.

  This new approach will significantly reduce the impact on businesses and road users travelling in and around the area.

  Explaining the change

  The new East Free Flow Link will connect the M42 southbound at junction 6 to the A45 Eastway towards Coventry. Work was planned to be completed through a 14-month closure of the existing Eastway loop. The loop currently takes traffic from the M42 southbound towards the NEC, Birmingham Airport and other businesses.

  We’ll now build the East Free Flow Link in two phases, removing the need to close the Eastway loop until a new connection is open. This will ensure motorists have still have access to the NEC, Resorts World and Birmingham Business Park via the junction 6 southbound exit and Eastway loop until the new road opens, after which access will be via the new connection.

  Phase one started in February this year and phase two is due to start in spring 2025, upon completion of the new southbound exit slip road. Every effort will be made to complete this work as soon as possible.

  The new A4545 link road

  Work on the construction of the new A4545 dual carriageway link road between the new M42 junction 5a and A45 Clock Interchange roundabout is progressing well and expect to open this road by the end of winter 2024/25. Once open, the road will provide smoother, safer and more reliable journeys to and from the motorway, as well as direct access to key businesses in the area.

  We’d like to thank road users and the local community for their patience while we complete this complex project. We’ll continue to work closely with stakeholders to improve our plans and programme of work, and every effort will be made to complete this work as soon as possible.

  If you’d like more information about this upgrade scheme you can contact us by:

  • emailing M42Junction6@nationalhighways.co.uk
  • calling 0300 123 5000 (this line is available 24 hours a day)

• 31 July 2024

  Temporary traffic lights in place this August

  As part of our vegetation planting plan on the scheme, we’ll be installing Geoweb protective layers and top soiling over the verges of Solihull Road. Geoweb is being used to stabilise the verges before applying topsoil, ensuring both stability and support for future vegetation planting. It consists of a three-dimensional honeycomb-like structure made from high-density polyethylene that can be filled with soil.

  To allow this work to be carried out safely, two-way traffic lights will be in operation on the Solihull Road bridge from 1 to 30 August, between 9am and 4pm, Monday to Friday.

  We apologise in advance for any disruption you may experience and we’ll make every effort to ensure the impact on the local community and motorists is kept to a minimum.

  We always aim to work to the programme, however these closures may be amended due to poor weather or operational reasons.

  How can we find out more?

  If you have any questions about these road works, you can:

  • email us at: M42Junction6@nationalhighways.co.uk 
  • call us on: 0300 123 5000

  For the latest information about our scheme and upcoming roadworks you can follow us on Twitter (@HighwaysWMIDS) and find us on Facebook (National Highways: West Midlands).

• 26 June 2024

  Overhead gantry work in July

  We’ll be carrying out work on overhead gantries between junctions 6 and 7 of the M42.

  We'll need some overnight closures in July to perform this work, between 9pm and 5am.

  Please remember that closure details can change at short notice.  For the most up-to-date information, please visit our daily closures page. 

  This work may cause slight delays. If you're travelling along the M42 to plan ahead and allow additional time for your journey.

  Traffic Safety Control officers (TSCO) will be working 24/7 to deal with any incidents as quickly as possible.

  We also provide a free recovery service for vehicles that break down within our works. 

  We apologise in advance for any inconvenience during these works. We're making every effort to keep noise down and minimise disruption .

• 12 February 2024

  Work begins on new link road to East Way

  As part of our programme of safety and capacity improvements at junction 6 of the M42, we will be constructing a new link road to East Way, and a free-flow link from the M42 southbound to the eastbound A45, highlighted in pink in the diagram below.

  

  The new free-flow link road will increase capacity for traffic joining the A45 eastbound, reducing congestion at the junction.

  To enable these upgrades at the junction to take place safely, we will implement narrow lanes on the A45 eastbound filter road from the M42 at junction 6.

  Narrow lanes will remain in place until winter 2024 as part of our ongoing improvement works.

  Gantry installation

  We will also be installing two gantries over the M42 near junction 6 with improved signage to boost driver safety.

  Clock Interchange improvements

  As part of our improvements to Clock Interchange roundabout, we will be moving the existing concrete barrier over the coming four weeks.

  Moving the barriers will enable us to upgrade street lighting, install traffic signs, and resurface the roundabout.

• 11 January 2024

  Our work along Catherine de Barnes Lane

  This year we’ll move into the next stages of our improvement work along Catherine de Barnes Lane, realigning the existing road on to new roundabouts and bridges that will connect to the new link road. As we continue to work on different sections of the carriageway, Catherine de Barnes Lane will remain closed to through traffic. We’ll be working with local residents and businesses to ensure access is maintained throughout.

  Work will be carried out in three phases, as shown on the map below:

  

  Phase 4

  Reconstruction and realignment of Catherine de Barnes Lane onto the new Barber’s Coppice roundabout.

  Phase 5

  Reconstruction and realignment of Catherine de Barnes Lane onto the new Bickenhill roundabout.

  Work on phase 4 and 5 will begin on 26 January and is expected to be complete in summer 2024.  We’ll then begin work on phase 6, near Clock Interchange.

  Phase 6

  Connecting the new A4545 link road to Clock Interchange roundabout.

  ---

  Since opening Solihull Road in June 2023, our work along Catherine de Barnes Lane has been carried out in sequential phases. Phases 1, 2 and 3 have been carried out successfully however we now need to re-sequence our next phases of work due to the following reasons:

  1. We recently received a request from Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council (SMBC) to incorporate provision for future street lighting at the newly-built Barbour’s Coppice roundabout at the southern end of the road, at the location of phase 4.
  2. Utility diversions, which are being carried out as part of phase 3 works, are still to be completed due to being dependant on the availability of third party providers.

  Due to the increased scope of work, and to reduce any potential elongation of phase 4, we’ll now be carrying out phases 4 and 5 simultaneously. This adjustment will allow us optimise resources and seamlessly integrate the new road lighting enhancements with our original planned work. It also means we’re still able to follow our overall project timeline and our commitment to upgrading Catherine de Barnes Lane within the timescales previously communicated.

  We’ll continue to use Damson Parkway as our approved diversion route. For local residents and businesses, we’ll put in place clearly signed diversion routes which have been agreed with SMBC as the most suitable route for both the amount and type of traffic being diverted. 

  We apologise in advance for any disruption you may experience and we’ll make every effort to ensure the impact on the local community and motorists is kept to a minimum. 

  We always aim to work to the programme, however these closures may be amended due to poor weather or operational reasons

• 20 November 2023

  Our programme of work into December

  Work on our M42 junction 6 upgrade is continuing and over the coming weeks and months as winter approaches, we’ll be carrying out work at a number of locations across the site.

  Junction 6 southbound slip road

  We’ve extended a drainage channel underneath the motorway M42 to allow us to carry out improvements to the junction 6 southbound exit slip road which runs over the top of it. A partial lane 1 restriction has been in place along the length of the exit slip road since July 2023 and now this extension work is complete, we’re ready to remove temporary barriers that are in place.

  Due to the size of the machinery needed to complete the barrier removal, we’ll be closing the M42 junction 6 southbound exit slip road overnight on 24 November, from 10pm to 5am to ensure the safety of our workforce and to protect motorists.

  East Way link road

  As well as the new slip road, our junction improvements also include a new roundabout, shown in blue below, which will connect to East Way.

  

  To allow us to realign the new roundabout to East Way, we need to temporarily close the existing link to East Way from the junction 6 slip road (shown in red below) for up to six weeks, from Monday 27 November 2023.

  Diversion routes will be in place for traffic intending to travel to and from the NEC, as shown in green below. For the safest and quickest journey, always follow our clearly sign posted routes, rather than your sat navs

  To help keep disruption to a minimum, our traffic management plan has been designed to ensure that the junction 6 southbound exit remains open for the duration of this work. This means that southbound traffic will still be able to exit the M42 at junction 6 as normal, so you’ll still be able to get to where you need to.

  Catherine de Barnes Lane

  Our work along the road will soon move from phase 3 to phase 4 where we’ll be realigning the southern end of Catherine de Barnes Lane on to the new Barber’s Coppice roundabout.

  We’d initially planned to re-open Shadowbrook Lane in December 2023, however we've had to change our programme of work and we'll now be reopening the road in January 2024.

  We’ll continue working with local residents and businesses to ensure access is maintained throughout closures.

  

  Narrow lanes will remain in place on the M42 until February 2024 to allow our teams to safely continue work on the construction of the new M42 junction 5a.

  We apologise in advance for any inconvenience you may experience during the upcoming roadworks. The whole team will make every effort to manage noise levels carefully and minimise disruption to the local area.

  Find out more

  If you’d like more information about this upgrade scheme you can contact us by:

  • emailing M42Junction6@nationalhighways.co.uk 
  • calling 0300 123 5000 (this line is available 24 hours a day)

  For the latest information about our scheme and upcoming roadworks you can also follow us on Twitter (@HighwaysWMIDS) and find us on Facebook (National Highways: West Midlands).

• 09 May 2023

  Watch how a bridge spanning the M42 was demolished

  This new time-lapse footage shows how specialist equipment was used to demolish the existing Solihull Road bridge which spanned the M42.

  The M42 was closed in both directions between junctions 5 and 6 from 10pm on Friday 5 May 2023 and was re-opened some 22 hours earlier than planned with closures removed from 7am onwards on the morning of Sunday 7 May.

  The demolition of this bridge marks a key milestone for the project. It means work can continue on the construction of the new junction 5a slip roads, part of our £282m investment to upgrade M42 junction 6 which also includes building a new 2.4km dual carriageway link road between this new junction and Clock Interchange. Once complete it will alleviate congestion for motorists, make journeys safer, and support economic growth in the region.

  If you’d like more information about the M42 junction 6 upgrade scheme you can contact us by:

  • emailing M42Junction6@nationalhighways.co.uk

  • calling 0300 123 5000 (this line is available 24 hours a day)

• 24 October 2022

  East Way link work delayed

  As part of the M42 Junction 6 Improvement scheme, we're planning to build a free flow link between the A45 eastbound and the M42 northbound. This link road would pass under the East Way bridge before joining the M42.

  As part of our robust inspection regime at East Way Bridge, we identified some issues with the bridge bearings underneath the structure. While we assess the type of solution that is needed, we've taken the precautionary measure of putting some supports underneath the bridge to resolve the issue temporarily. Scaffolding access remains in place to facilitate regular inspections and monitoring.

  The bridge is safe and remains open to traffic, however while assessments take place for the permanent solution at this bridge, we've decided to postpone our work on the new free flow link. 

  We understand this is disappointing, but safety is our top priority and we do not wish to compromise the ongoing assessment and monitoring work at East Way bridge by carrying out intrusive ground works near its foundations. 

  We're committed to building the new free flow link road in the future and we'll plan to complete this as a separate project alongside the permanent solution at East Way bridge. Our aim is to keep disruption to a minimum and limit the amount of roadworks in the area at any one time. We'll provide more information on when this work will be carried out as soon as it’s available.

• 18 October 2022

  Watch how two bridges were lifted into position over the M42

  The video features new timelapse footage which shows the moment two bridges, weighing a total of 2,050 tonnes, were moved into place over the M42 in Solihull.

  Specialist teams carried out the work last weekend, which took over 40 hours to complete.

  The installation of these bridges marks a key milestone for the M42 Junction 6 project team who are delivering a £282m upgrade of the motorway in Solihull, which will support economic growth and planned development in the region.

  If you’d like more information about the M42 Junction 6 scheme you can:

  • email us at: M42Junction6@nationalhighways.co.uk
  • call us on: 0300 123 5000

• 05 May 2022

  Watch how a 92-tonne footbridge was lifted into position over the A45

  This new time-lapse footage shows the moment a footbridge for pedestrians and cyclists was installed across the A45 in Solihull.

  The 92-tonne bridge was lowered in to place by a team of 30 technical specialists and engineers who carried out the work on the evening of Saturday 30 April.

  It was installed as part of our £282m investment to upgrade M42 junction 6 which also includes building

  • a new 2.4km dual carriageway link road, aligned to the west of Bickenhill  
  • a new junction (5a) on the M42 motorway, approximately 1.8km south of the existing M42 Junction 6 (Solihull)  
  • two new roundabouts north of the B4102 Solihull Road on either side of the M42 motorway  

  Once complete it will alleviate congestion for motorists, make journeys safer, and support economic growth in the region.

  If you’d like more information about the M42 junction 6 upgrade scheme you can contact us by:

  • emailing M42Junction6@highwaysengland.co.uk
  • calling 0300 123 5000 (this line is available 24 hours a day)