M42 junction 6

Latest updates

• 26 June 2024

  Please check before you travel: upcoming M42 J6-7 closures

  We’ll be carrying out work on overhead gantries between junctions 6 and 7 of the M42 as part of our work to provide smoother and safer journeys along this stretch of road.

  To allow this work to be carried out safely, overnight closures will be in place between 1 and 2 July 2024, as outlined in the table below.

  Date and Time	Details	Closure and Diversion Route
  1 - 2 July 9pm to 5am	Full closure of M42 northbound between junctions 6 to 7a	Diversion via the A45 eastbound to A452 northbound, A446 northbound to J9
  2 July 9pm to 5am	Full closure of M42 southbound between junctions 7a to 6	Diversion via M6 J3 returning M6 J4, A452, A446, A45 westbound to M42 J6

  What should motorists do?

  We expect this work to cause slight delays so we advise motorists travelling along the M42 to plan ahead and allow additional time for their journeys.

  Traffic Safety Control officers (TSCO) will be in operation 24/7 during the work to deal with any incidents as quickly as possible. We will also provide a free recovery service to take you and your vehicle to a place of safety in the event of a breakdown within our works. 

  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.

  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).

• 08 May 2024

  Advance notice of Narrow Lanes on the M42

  As part of our programme of safety and capacity improvements at junction 6 of the M42, we’re constructing a new southbound junction 6 exit slip road which will provide a new link to East Way from the southbound M42. We’re also making further improvements by building a free-flow link connecting the M42 southbound to the eastbound A45.

  What's happening next?

  To allow us to continue building the new junction safely, we’ll be installing narrow lanes on the M42 southbound between junctions 7 to 6 from 15 May until spring 2025.

  Please see the table below which details closures and diversion routes that will be in place during the installation of these narrow lanes.

  Date and Time	Details	Closure & Diversion Route
  14 - 15 May 9pm to 5am	M6 southbound junction 4a link roads	Full closure of M6 junction 4a link roads Diversion via: M6 J4, A446, A452, A45 eastbound to M42 J6
  	M42 southbound between junction 7a to 6	Full closure of M42 southbound between junctions 7a to 6 Diversion via: M6 J3 returning M6 J4, A446, A452, A45 eastbound to M42 J6
  14 - 17 May 9pm to 5am	M6 junction 4 northbound to M42 southbound link road	Full closure of M6 junction 4 northbound to M42 southbound link road. Diversion: A446, A452, A45 eastbound to M42 J6
  16 – 17 May 9pm to 5am	M42 southbound between junction 7 to 6	Lane 1+2 closure only on M42 southbound between junction 7 to 6

   

  What should motorists do?

  By installing narrow lanes, we’ll reduce the width of the carriageway but continue to maintain 3 lanes. We expect this to cause slight delays so advise motorists travelling along the M42 southbound to plan ahead and allow additional time for their journeys.

  Roadworks can create a different environment for drivers where reactions and behaviour can change. Once the narrow lanes have been successfully installed, a reduced speed limit of 50mph will be in place to ensure the safety of our workforce and motorists.  

  Traffic Safety Control officers (TSCO) will be in operation 24/7 during the work to deal with any incidents as quickly as possible. We will also provide a free recovery service to take you and your vehicle to a place of safety in the event of a breakdown within our works. 

  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.

  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).

• 10 April 2024

  Please check before you travel: upcoming M42 northbound closures

  Following vegetation clearance during March, we’re now able to install new CCTV and National Roads Telecommunications Services (NRTS) infrastructure along the motorway. This work is part of our commitment to providing safer and smoother journeys along the M42 as we continue our upgrade at junction 6.

  Traffic management

  We’ll be carrying out this work on the northbound M42 carriageway, with lane 1 and 2 restrictions in place between junction 6 and 7 overnight on weeknights, between 9pm and 5am, from Monday 15 to Tuesday 23 April

  The northbound M42 entry-slip at junction 6 will also be closed overnight on Monday 15, Tuesday 16, Monday 22 and Tuesday 23 April, from 9pm to 5am. During these closures, a clearly signed diversion route will be in place as shown on the image below. Traffic will be directed to join the southbound M42 at junction 6, exiting at junction 5 and rejoining the M42 northbound.

  

  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.

  How can we 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 X (formerly Twitter) at @HighwaysWMIDS and find us on Facebook (National Highways: West Midlands).

• 08 March 2024

  An update on our programme of work for March

  Work continues on upgrades to the M42 at junction 6.

  Through March we will be clearing vegetation along the motorway and installing a new gantry. This work is part of our commitment to enhancing driver safety with improved signage while performing essential preparatory work for the installation of CCTV and motorway technology stations.

  The vegetation clearance will take place overnight on the northbound carriageway from Monday 11 to Wednesday 20 March, between the hours of 8pm and 5am. For the safety of our staff and the travelling public, we will need to close lanes one and two northbound, from junctions 6 to 7, resulting in a single lane running overnight. On the nights of the 14, 15 and 19 March, lane closures will only be in place after 11.30pm to help traffic leaving events at the NEC.

  We will also be installing a new gantry over the M42 near junction 6 this month. This installation will require two overnight closures on both the northbound and southbound carriageways, between junctions 5 and 6, on Tuesday 19 and Wednesday 20 March, from 9pm to 5am. On the night of Tuesday 19 March, access to the southbound junction 6 entry slip will remain open until midnight to help drivers leaving events at the NEC.

  During the full overnight closures, a clearly signed diversion route will be in place as shown on the image below.

  

  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.

  How can we 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 X (formerly Twitter) at @HighwaysWMIDS and find us on Facebook (National Highways: West Midlands).

• 11 January 2024

  An update on our programme of 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

• 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@highwaysengland.co.uk

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

• 24 October 2022

  M42 junction 6 upgrade stakeholder update

  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

  Click the image below to view 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

  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).

   

• 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)