M42 motorway
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| M42 motorway | |
Road of the United Kingdom |
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| Length | 55 miles (88.5 km) |
| Direction | Southwest - Northeast |
| Start | Bromsgrove |
| Primary destinations | Redditch Solihull Birmingham Tamworth |
| End | Appleby Magna |
| Construction dates | 1976 - 1989 |
| Motorways joined |  M5 motorway   M40 motorway   M6 motorway  M6 motorway  M6 motorway   M6 Toll |
| E 05 |
The M42 motorway is a major road in England. The motorway runs north east from Bromsgrove in Worcestershire to just south west of Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire, passing Redditch, Solihull, the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) and Tamworth on the way. The section between the M40 and M6 road forms – though unsigned as such – a part of Euroroute E05. Beyond junction 11 the route is continued as the A42, the junctions on this section, 12-14, are numbered as a continuation of the motorway.
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[edit] History
The section of the M42 between junctions 7A and 9 was re-built as part of the M6 Toll works and now forms the link between the M6 and the southern end of the toll road.
When the M42 was going through the planning stages in 1977 there was great opposition to the development by the residents of Bromsgrove. Ironically, much of the town's population now depends on this motorway (and the M5) for their commuting needs. Many of the people attracted to the town from the 1980s onwards have come because of the motorway links.[citation needed]
The road also used innovative road surfaces, which were not adopted elsewhere because of the noise created.
The section of road between junctions 3A (M40) and the M5 was going to be renumbered as part of the M40 when it was extended to Birmingham, and the junction was built with priority going to the now westbound section of the M42 and the M40 towards London. However when the junction was opened, no renumbering took place.[citation needed]
The M42 was originally planned to extend all the way to the M1 near Nottingham, though this was never constructed, and the A42 link was constructed in its place. [1]
[edit] Birmingham Motorway Box
Along with sections of the M5 and M6, the southern sections of the M42 form an orbital motorway around Birmingham. Much like the M25 around London, there are areas where this orbital system does not work well. One such point is junction 3A, the link between the M42 and the M40, where traffic is often heavy in the rush hour. The intersection between the M42 and M6 is often very busy too, especially when travelling along the M6.
[edit] Features
[edit] Active Traffic Management
The Highways Agency is currently implementing an Active Traffic Management (ATM) system between junction 3a and 7 of the M42. This is a scheme which combines a number of new technologies with some tried and tested motorway traffic management techniques. The scheme includes mandatory variable speed limits, as on the M25, enhanced driver information signs and a new congestion and incident management system. This system allows operators to open and close any lane to traffic in order to help manage congestion or an incident. This includes using the hard shoulder as a running lane between junctions under controlled conditions. This has proved very successful, with journey times decreasing by 26% northbound and 9% southbound. Drivers can also better predict their journey times as the variability decreased by 27%. It has also proved popular with motorists, 60% of whom want to see it expanded to other English motorways.[citation needed] The government has already announced the system will be expanded to the M6, with a feasibility study to be undertaken to determine other likely motorways where this technology can be implemented.[2]
[edit] Journey Time Trial
The latest scheme to be tested on a long gently climbing stretch is one in which eastbound HGVs are not allowed to overtake during daytime hours. This scheme was implemented because the route is often congested on account of the motorway having only four lanes (two lanes in each direction) as it leaves the West Midlands.[citation needed]
[edit] Construction timeline
November 1976: The first phase of the motorway opens, linking Birmingham International Airport with the M6 motorway. [1]
September 1985: The second phase of the motorway opens, forming a curve around the south-eastern side of Solihull. [2]
December 1985: The third phase of the motorway opens, linking the M6 motorway with the A5 at Tamworth. [3]
June 1986: The fourth phase of the motorway opens, taking the southern section of the motorway to Alvechurch just north of Redditch to form a junction with the A441. [4]
August 1986: The fifth phase of the motorway opens, linking the A5 at Tamworth with the A444 at Measham.
March 1987: The sixth phase of the motorway opens, stretching southwards to form a junction with the A38 at Bromsgrove, some 15 miles south of Birmingham. [5]
December 1989: The seventh and final phase of the motorway is completed, linking the A38 with the M5 to form a direct motorway and trunk road link for the south Birmingham area and the M1 motorway around Nottingham and East Midlands Airport, following the completion of the A42 trunk road at the M42's northern terminus in August this year. [6]
[edit] Junctions
| M42 Motorway | ||
| Northbound exits | Junction | Southbound exits |
| Start of motorway | M5, J4a (52°21′15″N 2°04′11″W / 52.3542°N 2.0698°W) |
The South West, The North East M5 |
| No access | J1 | Bromsgrove A38 |
| Birmingham (South) A441 | J2 Hopwood Park services |
Birmingham (South), A441 |
| Birmingham (South), Redditch, Evesham A435 | J3 | Birmingham (South), Redditch, Evesham A435 |
| London, Warwick, Stratford-on-Avon M40 | J3a (52°20′56″N 1°48′35″W / 52.3488°N 1.8097°W) |
London, Warwick, Stratford-on-Avon M40 |
| Shirley A34 | J4 | Shirley A34 |
| Solihull A41 | J5 | Solihull A41 |
| Birmingham (South East), The National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham International Airport, Coventry (South & West) A45 | J6 | Birmingham (South East), The National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham International Airport, Coventry (South & West) A45 |
| The NORTH WEST, Birmingham (East, North & Central) M6 | J7 (52°28′39″N 1°42′39″W / 52.4774°N 1.7109°W) |
No access |
| London, Coventry (M1) M6 | J7a (52°29′01″N 1°42′38″W / 52.4837°N 1.7106°W) |
No access |
| No access | J7b | London, Coventry, (M6) M6 Toll |
| No access | J8 | Birmingham (East, North, West & Central) M6 |
| Lichfield, The NORTH WEST M6 Toll | J8a | No access |
| Lichfield A446 Sutton Coldfield A4097 |
J9 | Lichfield, Brownhills, Sutton Coldfield A446, A4097 |
| Tamworth, Nuneaton A5 | J10 Tamworth services |
Tamworth, Nuneaton A5 |
| Burton upon Trent A444 | J11 | Start of motorway |
| Road continues as A42 to East Midlands Airport & M1 | Nuneaton A444 Non motorway traffic |
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[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ CBRD - M42 - Accessed 7 February 2009
- ^ "'Extra lane' plan to be extended". BBC News (British Broadcasting Corporation). 2007-10-25. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7061188.stm. Retrieved on 2007-12-31.
[edit] External links
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