M42 motorway facts for kids

Quick facts for kids M42 motorway
Looking south towards junction 6
Route information
Part of E05
Maintained by Highways England
Length	40.0 mi (64.4 km)
Existed	1976–present
History	Opened: 1976 Completed: 1989
Major junctions
Southwest end	Catshill
	M5 motorway J3a → M40 motorway J7 → M6 motorway M6 motorway M6 motorway M6 Toll
Northeast end	Appleby Magna
Location
Counties:	Worcestershire, Warwickshire, West Midlands, Leicestershire
Primary destinations:	Bromsgrove Solihull Birmingham Airport Tamworth
Road network
Roads in the United Kingdom Motorways A and B road zones ← M40 M45 →

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.

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.

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)	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	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)	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	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

Images for kids

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  The M42 from a bridge just east of the M42/A45 junction (J6)