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M42 Traffic

M42 03:14am.

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There are no current incidents or roadworks on the M42.Drag the map to show traffic incidents in the surrounding area.

Traffic incidents

The following traffic incidents and congestion for M42 have been reported by Highways England, Traffic Scotland, Traffic Wales or Transport for London (TfL) in the last two hours:

M42 Roadworks

The following roadworks have been reported by various highways agencies and official transport sources.Click on a roadworks item to view more details on the traffic map.

The M42 motorway is a motorway located in the Midlands region of England. It runs between the A42 near Leicester and junction 10a of the M6 near Tamworth, and is 67 miles long. The motorway was constructed over three phases between 1972 and 1992, and is currently managed by Highways England.

The M42 is one of the busiest routes in England, carrying around 200,000 vehicles per day. In 2017, the Highways England Road Safety Foundation stated that the M42 had below-average accident rate for a motorway and that overall, there had been an improvement in safety on the road over the previous four years. The most common collision types on the M42 include 'rear-end shunts', single-vehicle accidents, and failure to observe a road junction.

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Except where otherwise noted, content and photographs on this site are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License . Owned, operated and copyright CliqTo Ltd 2024 and Chris Haycock . Registered company number 7575287. Page (M42) cached at 16/06/2024 03:14:09

M42 emergency closure alert as Birmingham Airport passengers warned of diversion

D rivers are being warned to check their journeys ahead of an emergency M42 slip road closure this afternoon. National Highways West Midlands put out an alert this morning, June 12, issuing a warning to all motorists, including Birmingham Airport passengers, over the closure.

Travel bosses are being forced to close access to part of the key Midlands route for a minimum of an hour this afternoon to make repairs to the road infrastructure following a crash this morning. There have been delays of 15 minutes this morning following the crash on the M42.

The closure will impact access to the airport for some motorists, so those who have plans to catch a flight should check their route is not affected. National Highways released a diversion route.

BHX QUEUES LATEST: Birmingham Airport queues live as passengers face key changes after 'painful' liquids decision

For more stories from across Solihull including BHX, breaking news, politics and what's on, sign up to our MySolihull newsletter

National Highways West Midlands put out an alert just after 11am warning drivers of the imminent closure. Releasing a full update on X, a National Highways West Midlands spokesperson said: "The M42 southbound exit slip road at J6 @bhx_official A45 is due to CLOSE at 12 noon TODAY (12 June) for approx. 60 minutes for emergency infrastructure repairs due to an earlier traffic collision.

"Diversion: Continue south on the M42 until J5, exit and rejoin the M42 north." Works is expected to take around an hour to complete.

Birmingham Airport passengers appeared to face an easier morning today, Wednesday, June 12, after days of long outdoor queues to clear security. Travellers have repeatedly faced long delays, particularly during early mornings as the first load of planes are filled up.

We visited the busy travel hub on Tuesday June 11, and put concerns to the airport's chief executive, who admitted a recent liquid rule change has been "painful." More from that exclusive chat, here.

Follow our live updates from the airport today, here.

HELP! Please sign our petition to reinstate the live CCTV traffic camera feeds for the M42

As most of you will have already seen, back in December, National Highways, the government body who control and operate the CCTV cameras on the M42 (and the rest of England) restricted access to their feeds, freezing the images on that date and not allowing third parties like us to give you the access to the latest traffic images you previously enjoyed.

We've been working hard to get this access restored but have unfortunately met with nothing but bureaucratic red tape and a response of "no, because we said so" from National Highways.

Road users in Scotland and Wales don't have this problem; their government bodies put the needs of the public first and have created ways for third-party providers to build fast, helpful services, now used by thousands of UK motorists daily.

The more people that sign, the quicker this can be resolved, so please share!

We have been told by National Highways that the camera feeds for the M42 will be reinstated shortly.

If the images are not updating, please check back later.

Enter a custom name for this camera if required, then click the route you wish to save it to.

Enter a custom name for this Bookmark, or just click save to keep it as it is.

Are you sure you wish to remove this camera from ALL routes? If you only wish to remove this camera from a specific route please Cancel, go to the Route in question and remove it from there.

Latest CCTV traffic image from camera #1549 on the M42 road.

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Last updated by National Highways on 16/06/2024 03:18

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Live updates as M42 reopens following 'serious' crash

The northbound carriageway was shut between Junctions 5 and 6

• Updated 12:27, 4 SEP 2022

A section of the M42 has reopened following a 'serious crash' during the early hours of yesterday (September 3) morning. The northbound carriageway is open again between J5, for the A41 Solihull By-Pass ( Solihull / Knowle ), and J6, for the A45 Coventry Road (Birmingham Airport / Coventry), after emergency works were completed.

In a tweet at 2.46am National Highways said: "The #M42 northbound is now open between J5 and J6 after emergency works works were completed following an earlier incident. There are no residual delays."

An update from traffic monitoring service Inrix said: "M42 Northbound re-opened, emergency resurfacing repairs complete from J5 A41 Solihull By-Pass ( Solihull / Knowle ) to J6 A45 Coventry Road (Birmingham Airport / Coventry).

"The road was closed for resurfacing works as a result of an earlier accident. The road had been closed since Saturday morning."

For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.

• Road reopens 03:05

Road reopens

The #M42 northbound is now open between J5 and J6 after emergency works works were completed following an earlier incident. There are no residual delays. pic.twitter.com/JEqC9fW51W — National Highways: West Midlands (@HighwaysWMIDS) September 4, 2022

Queues remain on the M42 this evening

M42 Northbound closed, queueing traffic due to emergency resurfacing repairs from J5 A41 Solihull By-Pass (Solihull / Knowle) to J6 A45 Coventry Road (Birmingham Airport / Coventry).

The road remains closed for resurfacing works as a result of an earlier accident. The road has been closed since this morning. Lane four (of four) was closed on the Southbound carriageway.

Northbound remains closed

M42 Northbound closed due to emergency resurfacing repairs from J5 A41 Solihull By-Pass (Solihull / Knowle) to J6 A45 Coventry Road (Birmingham Airport / Coventry). Traffic is coping well.

Road expected to remain closed overnight

Solihull congested.

Roads through Solihull is heavily congested as traffic diverts to avoid the closure, reports INRIX.

Queues due to resurfacing

M42 Northbound closed, queueing traffic due to emergency resurfacing repairs from J5 A41 Solihull By-Pass (Solihull / Knowle) to J6 A45 Coventry Road (Birmingham Airport / Coventry). Congestion to J4 (Shirley / Dorridge) for northbound traffic. Roads through Solihull is heavily congested as traffic diverts to avoid the closure.

Southbound reopen

All lanes on the southbound between Junctions 5 and 6 are now open.

Traffic is said to have returned to normal now emergency repairs to the damaged central reservation are complete.

Still major problems northbound with the carriageway still closed.

Latest traffic chart

Diversion routes congested

Diversion routes through Solihull, Knowle and Bickenhill are now pretty snarled up as motorists leave the M42 to seek alternative ways.

The northbound carriageway is still closed from Junctions 5 to 6 while resurfacing work is carried out.

It's after a large amount of fuel was spilled when a car flipped onto its roof in a crash in the early hours today.

One land on the southbound is also still shut while the central reservation undergoes extensive repairs.

Three people were taken to hospital as a result of the smash shortly before 3am.

A female passenger was the most seriously hurt, suffering potentially life-threatening head injuries.

Three in hospital

More information here on the injuries sustained by those involved in the two-car smash.

One woman suffered potentially life-threatening head injuries.

The M42 north remains closed between Junctions 5 and 6, close to Birmingham Airport.

One lane on the southbound carriageway is closed in the same stretch while emergency repairs are carried out to the central reservation.

A woman suffered potentially life-threatening head injuries in the crash, which is understood to have involved two cars.

We'll bring you more information as soon as we have it.

Major delays

The M42 north remains closed from Junction 5 to 6 while one lane is still out of action southbound on the same stretch.

There's congestion to J4 (Shirley / Dorridge) for northbound traffic and to J7, for (Coleshill), for southbound traffic.

Motorists continue to be advised to avoid the area if possible.

Map of closure and congestion

Overturned vehicle

A National Highways traffic alert says:

"One of the vehicles involved overturned and came to rest on its roof. A fuel spillage and central reservation barrier damage has also been confirmed.

"All traffic caught up within the closure has been released. Central Motorway Police Group are carrying out collision investigation work.

"National Highways Traffic Officers and service providers are on scene. Lane 4 is also closed on the southbound carriageway due to the central reservation barrier damage.

"The closure is expected to be in place for several more hours."

Southbound also effected

One lane on the southbound carriageway between Junctions 5 and 6 has also been closed to enable emergency repairs to barrier damage.

Police are warning motorists to avoid the area and follow northbound diversions from Junction 3A, where the motorway meets the M40.

A section of the M42 remains closed this morning following a 'serious crash' in the early hours.

The northbound carriageway is shut between J5, for the A41 Solihull By-Pass ( Solihull / Knowle ), and J6, for the A45 Coventry Road (Birmingham Airport / Coventry), following the crash at around 3am.

The closure, likely to remain in force for much of the morning, is causing two-mile tailbacks.

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Motorists heading to Birmingham Airport and NEC today warned of planned road closure on M42

Motorists heading to Birmingham Airport or the NEC today have been warned of a planned road closure due to an earlier collision.

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National Highways West Midlands announced that the M42 southbound at J6 NEC will be closed from noon today for around one hour to allow for emergency repairs to be carried out.

This is due to a vehicle colliding with the bullnose at the end of the safety barrier on the M42 junction 6 southbound exit slip road.

The bullnose is the metal plate at the end of a barrier that is designed to concertina on impact and take the force of a collision.

A spokesperson for NHWM said: "At around noon today we will be closing the southbound exit slip road at M42 junction 6 for about an hour to replace it.

"Traffic will be diverted down to junction 5 and then turn around to return on the northbound carriageway to junction 6."

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Parts of the M42 to be closed this weekend as bridge hit by lorries is demolished

• M42 Motorway
• Friday 9 February 2024 at 12:14pm

Drivers near Birmingham have been reminded to allow extra time for their journeys this weekend while a bridge over the M42 motorway is demolished.

The bridge, between junctions 7 (M6 junction 4) and 6 ( Birmingham Airport ), was hit twice in just one week by lorries. National Highways says it's caused "significant damage" - leaving the southbound carriageway reduced down to two lanes for safety reasons.

The government-owned company has stated that this weekend, the bridge will be demolished, weather permitting.

The M42 will be closed from 9:00pm on Friday 9 February to 5:00am on Monday 12 February.

The southbound carriageway will be closed from junction 9 to junction 6, as well as the link arm from the M6 south to M42 south, and the link arm from M6 north to M42 south.

The northbound carriageway will be closed from junction 6 to 7 including the link to the M6, but National Highways says there'll be no impact on the M6 toll.

The bridge, which carries the A452 over the motorway was originally going to be demolished in 2025.

Greg Fernee, from National Highways, said: "To remove the bridge in a safe and controlled manner, we need to close the road for a full weekend.

"People will need to plan their journeys carefully, by checking diversion routes and allowing extra time particularly if they have a flight to catch from Birmingham Airport or are attending an event at the NEC.

"We are grateful for the patience of road users since the bridge was first hit at the start of the year and over the last week while we’ve been carrying out preparation work for this weekend’s operation."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...

Ukraine appears to have used US weapons to take out targets on Russian soil, kicking off a new stage in the war

• Ukraine appears to have struck a prized air-defense system on Russian soil using a US-supplied HIMARS.
• The attack came amid a flurry of reports suggesting a major Ukrainian attack over the weekend.
• It also came hours after Biden approved the limited use of US-supplied weapons on targets in Russia.

Ukraine appears to have used US-supplied weapons on Russian soil in a wave of reported attacks — signaling that a new phase of the war may well be underway.

Russian media outlets said on Monday that Ukraine fired M42 missiles from M270 and HIMARS rocket launchers — all of which are US-made — over the border into Russia, the Kyiv Post reported .

The paper added that Russian officials said that cross-border attacks took place, but gave no details as to what weapons were used.

If confirmed, the strikes would represent the first known instance in this war of US-supplied weapons being used on Russian territory — a red line that President Joe Biden only pulled back on late last week.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged on Sunday that his forces had fired HIMARS from the northern Kharkiv region, the Kyiv Post reported.

On Monday, Ukrainian government minister Iryna Vereshchuk shared an image of burning military equipment on Facebook, saying that a prized Russian S-300 air defense system had been struck, CNN reported .

She noted that it took place in the "first days after permission to use Western weapons on enemy territory," without giving further details, per CNN.

Related stories

The image appeared to have been taken from the pro-Russian Telegram account Dosye Shpiona , which said that a HIMARS had been used.

BI was unable to find Vereshchuk's post on either her Facebook or Telegram accounts, suggesting it has since been deleted.

But the Institute for the Study of War, citing prominent pro-Russian military bloggers, also concluded that an S300 or S400 system had been struck in Russia's Belgorod region, some 60 miles from the border, on either June 1 or June 2, saying it was "likely" hit by a HIMARS.

The target was well within HIMARS range but exceeded the range of the systems Ukraine usually uses to strike over the border, the think tank said.

The Kyiv Post cited a flurry of other Russian media reports — both unofficial and state-sanctioned — detailing dozens of strikes aimed at artillery systems, troop concentrations, and a bridge as part of the attack.

The reports came shortly after Biden said that Ukraine could fire HIMARS against targets on Russian soil, in limited circumstances .

The change in policy came after several of Ukraine's Western allies — including the UK and France — gave similar go-aheads.

The Biden administration's decision came after months of appeals from Ukrainian officials.

One Ukrainian soldier complained of having to watch helplessly as Russia built up its forces over the border ahead of a renewed offensive in the Kharkiv region, held back by the US restrictions on the use of its weapons.

Depriving Russia of these "sanctuary zones" could be of "huge" assistance to Ukraine, Keir Giles, a senior consulting fellow at Chatham House's Russia and Eurasia Programme, told Business Insider's Thibault Spirlet last week.

But the decision was long past due, he said.

And faced with other problems — including recruitment and ammunition shortages — the US decision is "clearly not a silver bullet to win the war," Alexander Libman, a professor of Russian and East European politics at the Free University of Berlin, told BI.

Watch: Russia fires 120 missiles across Ukrainian cities

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California Avenue to remain permanently car-free

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Cars will not be returning to California Avenue any time in the foreseeable future.

After a heated debate that had polarized the business community of Palo Alto’s “second downtown,” the City Council decided on Monday night to retain California Avenue as a car-free zone on a permanent basis. By a 5-2 vote, with Mayor Lydia Kou and council member Vicky Veenker dissenting, the council also agreed to enhance the eclectic strip by creating bike lanes down the middle of the street, installing gateway signs and wayfinding signs and implementing a permanent parklet program for California Avenue.

In endorsing California Avenue as a permanently car-free zone, the council effectively turned what began as a pandemic-era emergency measure into the new normal. In doing so, the council rebuffed both a staff recommendation to conduct a year-long analysis of possible options and a concerted effort by dozens of area businesses to bring cars back. A proposal by some of these businesses for what they called a compromise — one traffic lane — sputtered Monday in the face of popular support among residents and most council members for keeping the street as a pedestrian promenade.

Both sides of the debate came out in force, with the council getting more than 150 pages of letters in the days leading up to the Nov. 6 hearing and hearing from dozens of residents and business owners at the meeting. Lisa Robins, owner of Vin Vino Wine, was among those who supported bringing back cars, which she argued improved access to businesses like hers. Michael Ekwall, co-owner of the California Avenue restaurant La Bodeguita del Medio, said that many businesses in the retail and service sectors are asking for the city to “give them back the visibility and access that they were willing to sacrifice for restaurants to survive during the pandemic.”

“The majority of businesses are asking to reopen the street either fully or with a compromise that does make sense,” Ekwall said.

But the vast majority of the speakers at the Nov. 6 hearing strongly supported keeping cars away from California Avenue. Bruce McLeod, a resident who frequents California Avenue, said he likes to go to areas where he can walk without worrying about a car running over him and dine “without a car backfiring next to my parklet.”

Scott O’Neil also spoke out against any alternative that brings cars back, including the newly pitched one-lane compromise.

“Split the difference between safe and dangerous, you get dangerous; between clean air and dirty, you get dirty; between peaceful and noisy, it’s noisy,” O’Neil said. “Just as when you split the baby, you kill it, when you add a lane of traffic to a pedestrian boulevard, you kill it.”

The solution proposed by city staff — commissioning a 12-month alternatives analysis — had its detractors on both sides of the debate. Neither proponents nor opponents were enthusiastic about waiting another year for a decision on a program that was known as “Summer Streets” when it made its debut in June 2020 and that was then repeatedly extended on a temporary basis. Mike Stone, owner of Mollie Stone’s, was among those who supported reopening the street to cars and bringing back some certainty for business owners.

“Businesses don’t have time for another experiment,” he said. “This is not Europe.”

Council members concurred that businesses deserve an answer, though the one they delivered was not what many merchants were hoping for. Vice Mayor Greer Stone, a consistent proponent of keeping California Avenue car-free, suggested that bringing even one lane of vehicle traffic back would run counter to everything the city has been trying to achieve on the strip and would effectively negate its biggest benefits.

“Either way cars are going to be on the street and it really eliminates the primary reason why the community comes out to enjoy the open street,” Stone said.

Council members strongly pushed back against suggestions by merchants and service businesses that California Avenue’s car-free status strongly contributes to their recent decline in business, as evidenced by rising vacancies and falling revenues . Council members Pat Burt, Julie Lythcott-Haims and Stone all rejected that premise and suggested that there are bigger factors at play: namely, shifting working and shopping habits.

Steve Guagliardo, who is heading the city’s economic development efforts, said that he had recently spoken with officials from Stanford Research Park who told him that on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, only about half of the employees at the business park come to work on-site when compared to pre-pandemic levels. The percentage is even lower on the other two weekdays, he said.

Guagliardo and others suggested that the evidence simply isn’t there to conclude that cars, or lack thereof, are responsible for retail’s plight. On University Avenue, which was temporarily shut down to cars during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic but then reopened , there was little evidence that the move made a huge difference one way or another. The revenue figures in the downtown area showed that sales tax receipts for food, general retail and other types of businesses were all on the rise during University Avenue’s car-free period. After cars returned at the end of 2021, they continued to rise — and fall, and rise again — with no discernible pattern.

Burt suggested that the retailers who want to see the cars return to California Avenue as trying to “turn back the clock.” Rather than pushing for cars, they should adjust to the changing habits of California Avenue shoppers and extend their hours to coincide with major events like the Sunday farmer’s market or the Third Thursday series that brings music to the street, he said.

“I am confident that opening the street to cars will not bring any more workers into their offices and it won’t stop people from shopping on Amazon,” Burt said.

Some businesses have embraced the car-less vibes. Maico Campilongo, who co-owns the restaurants iTalica and Terun, has been participating in musical events outside his restaurants. Street dining has brought an uptick in business to his restaurant and others. While retailers have observed that it’s the restaurants and not the merchants who are the primary beneficiaries of the car-free setup, Campilongo argued that keeping California Avenue as a pedestrian area would bring in foot traffic that helps everyone. The move would also benefit the Palo Alto community as a whole.

“We really believe for the community of Palo Alto, for my kids who are going to grow up here, having a promenade will be a successful thing for Palo Alto,” Campilongo said.

The decision to reject another major study and to go all-in on car-free California Avenue was driven by Council member Ed Lauing. He suggested that establishing California as a permanently car-free zone will give businesses the certainty they need to plan for the future. As such, he resisted a proposal by staff for a $384,990 contract with a consulting firm to create an alternatives analysis that would take about a year. While transportation staff still expect to hire a consultant to assist with the streetscape improvements, the scope will now be far narrower given that the preferred alternative has now been selected.

Lauing was one of many speakers who took issue with the haphazard appearance of California Avenue, including insufficient signage, an utter lack of a unified design; and the orange plastic barriers that currently serve as literal gateways to the car-free zone between Birch Street and El Camino Real. He also, however, agreed with the many speakers who spoke in glowing terms about California Avenue as a treasured community space.

“In spite of how crappy it looks and the work that we still have to do, people are already piling in there. … They meet neighbors, they play in the street, they have fun,” Lauing said.

Lauing’s motion directed city staff to return with a formal proposal to keep California car-free permanently. It also calls for near-term improvements such as improved signage and a two-way bike lane.

As part of the vote, the council agreed to similarly keep car-free a half-block portion of the Ramona Street, between University and Hamilton avenues, that also became a pedestrian zone during the pandemic.

While Kou and Veenker both voted against the motion, they did so for different reasons. Kou, a former video store owner, said she was concerned about the impact that permanently keeping cars away from California Avenue would have for businesses that aren’t restaurants.

“While I had a lot of traffic, I had people who drove up in front of my store to get into the store,” Kou said. “Not having certainty that people who do want a parking spot (will have one) in front of their store to be dropped off and picked up is a huge concern for me,” Kou said.

Veenker was more concerned with process. Even though she said that keeping California Avenue car-free is her preferred option, she was loath to make a permanent decision without further analysis of business impacts. She shared the sentiments of most of her colleagues, however, when she called for creation of a “whiz-bang pedestrian mall that will promote community, enable bike traffic and support all of our businesses.”

“I want this to be a grand success and will be the first to support it if it passes,” Veenker said shortly before Lauing’s motion passed. “However, I am uncomfortable that we’re making the decision with neither expert guidance nor consensus in the business community.”

Greer Stone acknowledged the tension in the room and the currently inadequate state of California Avenue. The street, he said, is not perfect but it’s going to significantly improve after the current period of “growing pains.”

“I feel everybody’s frustration but when we’re done there, I think we’ll be a much better community, a much healthier community and hopefully we’ll be able to achieve parity for all of Cal. Ave.,” Stone said.

Gennady Sheyner Staff Writer, Palo Alto Weekly / PaloAltoOnline.com

Gennady Sheyner covers local and regional politics, housing, transportation and other topics for the Palo Alto Weekly, Palo Alto Online and their sister publications. He has won awards for his coverage... More by Gennady Sheyner

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