M5 motorway

This article is about the M5 motorway in England. For other uses, see M5 motorway (disambiguation).

M5
Route information
Length	162.9 mi (262.2 km)
Existed	1962–present
History	Constructed 1962–1977
Major junctions
From	West Bromwich
Major intersections	(M6 J8) → M6 motorway J4a → M42 motorway J8 → M50 motorway J15 → M4 motorway J18a → M49 motorway
To	Exminster
Location
Country	United Kingdom
Primary destinations	Birmingham, West Bromwich, Bristol, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Worcester, Weston-super-Mare, Taunton, Exeter, Wolverhampton, Kidderminster,
Road network
Roads in the United Kingdom Motorways A and B road zones

The M5 is a motorway in England. It runs from a junction with the M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Bromwich and west of Birmingham through Sandwell Valley. The road continues past Bromsgrove, Droitwich Spa, Worcester, Tewkesbury, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Bristol, Weston-super-Mare, Burnham-on-Sea, Bridgwater and Taunton on its way to Exeter, ending at Junction 31. It is the primary gateway to South West of England and can get very busy in summer months, congestion is common on Friday afternoons, School and Bank Holidays on the section south of the M4.

History

Construction

The first 26 miles (42 km) of the M5 motorway to be built was constructed as a dual two-lane motorway (two lanes in each direction), with Worcestershire County Council acting as engineer. This section, from Junction 4 (Lydiate Ash) in the north to a trumpet junction with the M50 in the south, opened in 1963. The southern end was called a trumpet junction because of its shape: a 270 degree curved bend. There were no other exits from this trumpet junction though room was left for an extension to the south.

The 2 miles (3.2 km) dual two-lane section between junctions 16 and 17 was built at Filton, near Bristol opened in 1962, with Gloucestershire County Council acting as engineer which was intended to replace the pre-war Filton bypass. This section was widened to a dual three-lane motorway in 1969.

The section north of Junction 4 was constructed in sections, from 1967 to 1970 together with the Frankley services. Much of the northern section beyond Junction 3, from about Quinton to its junction with the M6 motorway was constructed as an elevated dual 3-lane motorway using concrete pillars.

The M5 was also extended southwards, in sections, from 1967 to 1977, through Somerset, to Exeter, as a dual three-lane motorway together with the Strensham services.

The short section between junctions 27 and 29 was built in 1967/69, by Devon County Council, as the A38 Cullompton Bypass, with the intention that it should become part of the M5. The termini for this section have since been removed, although part of the southern terminal roundabout is now used as an emergency access. It was developed to motorway standards, and incorporated into the M5 in 1975.

Operational history

The section from Junctions 16 and 18 was illuminated in about 1973 as part or a wider policy announced by UK Minister for Transport Industries in 1972 to illuminate the 86 miles (138 km) of UK motorway particularly prone to fog.

In the late 1980s junction 4a was built as part of the M42 motorway construction project. The route of the M42 was decided as early as 1972 but, due to planning delays, the short section of the M42 north of Bromsgrove did not open until 1989.

The first-built section of M5, from junctions 3 to 8, was widened to provide six lanes (three lanes in each direction) in the early 1990s. During this work the northbound Strensham Services was rebuilt further away from the new junction. Junctions 7 and 8 were also remodelled into a roundabout junction.

The Avonmouth Bridge, Bristol.

The Avonmouth Bridge was converted to eight lanes (four lanes in each direction) in the early 2000s. Later, in 2005–2006, parts of the M5 between Junctions 17 and 20 were widened to 7 lanes (four lanes climbing the hills and three lanes descending the hills); variable message signs were added and parts of the central reservation was converted to a concrete step barrier. During this stage of construction the M5 became Britain's longest contraflow system, spanning 9 miles (14 km) between junctions 19 and 20. The M5 contraflow was said to be the most complicated ever built in the UK as the motorway is on a split level around the steep hills of the Gordano Valley; meaning four lanes plus an additional emergency vehicle lane were squeezed into that section. Most of the contraflow had speed limits of 40 mph (64 km/h) and required six speed cameras to enforce the speed limit through the narrow lanes.

The M5 motorway south of the Avonmouth Bridge, near Bristol.

In 2002 extended exits for Junction 12 were constructed. The Highways Agency did not anticipate the traffic flows through the junction and the resultant queues can now extend back onto the motorway. This is because of an increase in traffic from Stroud intending to use the M5 northbound. The distance from junctions 12 and 13 is similar and traffic congestion is heavy on the A419 towards junction 13 whereas it is usually lighter on the B4008 towards junction 12. As traffic leaving the M5 northbound towards Gloucester needs to give way to this traffic coming from the B4008, the queue on the motorway can extend beyond the first sign for the junction. More improvements are scheduled, as at 2010.

At junction 28 the Cullompton services are only signed on the motorway in the northbound direction, and are not signed in the southbound direction, this was implemented to reduce congestion at the low capacity junction, and there is still access available to the services southbound through the junction respectively. Also the northbound exit slip to the junction was reduced to one lane instead of two to reduce traffic on the small roundabout at the west side of the junction.

M5 Entrance Sign at Exeter.

In 2009 it was announced that the lighting between junctions 30 and 31 had been turned off between midnight and 5am to save energy.

Features

Main articles: Almondsbury Interchange and Avonmouth Bridge

The M5 near Junction 28, Devon

Notable features of the M5 include the four level Almondsbury Interchange, between the M5 and the M4 near Bristol. Another is the Avonmouth Bridge that is often a bottleneck in heavy traffic. Beyond that are the split-level carriageways, as the motorway climbs the sides of the hills above the Gordano Valley, between Portishead and Clevedon. Junction 1 surrounds a surviving gatehouse from the former Sandwell Hall.

The M5 follows the route of the A38 road quite closely. The two deviate slightly around Bristol and the area south of Bristol (junctions 16 to 22). The A38 goes straight through the centre of Bristol and passes by Bristol Airport; whereas the M5 skirts around both of them, with access to the airport from junctions 18, 19 or 22. The A38 continues south from where the M5 finishes in Devon.

Between Junction 21, Weston-super-Mare and Junction 22, Burnham-on-Sea, the M5 passes by an isolated landmark hill called Brent Knoll.

The Willow Man sculpture is visible from both carriageways, and acts as a landmark just to the south of Junction 23.

Proposed development

Gloucestershire Gateway Services

Main article: Gloucestershire Gateway services

Proposals were announced in September 2009 for a new Gloucestershire Gateway Services between junctions 11a and 12. A planning application was submitted in December 2009. Stroud District councillors approved the services in August 2010.

Junctions

Data from driver location signs are used to provide distance and carriageway identifier information. Where both the start and end point of the junction are known, both have been included.

M5 Motorway
km	Northbound exits (B Carriageway)	Junction	Southbound exits (A Carriageway)
0.0	The North West, Wolverhampton, Birmingham (North & East), Walsall M6	M6, J8	Start of motorway
4.3 5.3	West Bromwich, Birmingham (North West) A41	J1	West Bromwich, Birmingham (North West) A41
8.4 9.3	Dudley, Wolverhampton, Birmingham (West) A4123	J2	Dudley, Wolverhampton, Birmingham (West) A4123
13.8 14.5	Birmingham (South West & Central) A456	J3	Kidderminster A456
	Frankley Services	Services	Frankley Services
22.5 23.2	Birmingham (South) A38 Stourbridge A491	J4	Bromsgrove A38 Stourbridge A491
25.9 26.7	NEC, Airport, M42, London (M40), The North East (M1)	J4A	Birmingham (South & East), Redditch M42, London (M40)
34.5 35.0	Droitwich, Bromsgrove A38	J5	Droitwich A38
43.5 44.2	Worcester (North), Kidderminster A449	J6	Worcester (North) A449, Evesham A4538
48.6 49.4	Worcester (South), Evesham A44	J7	Worcester (South) A44
	Strensham services	Services	Strensham services
63.9 64.4	South Wales, Ross-on-Wye M50	J8	South Wales, Ross-on-Wye M50
69.8 70.6	Tewkesbury A438 Evesham A46	J9	Tewkesbury A438 Evesham A46
77.7 78.0	No access	J10	Cheltenham A4019
82.1 82.8	Cheltenham, Gloucester A40	J11	Cheltenham, Gloucester, Staverton Airport A40
85.9 86.9	Gloucester, Cirencester A417	J11A	London, Cirencester A417
	Gloucestershire Gateway Services (Construction starts late 2011, opening in 2013)	Services	Gloucestershire Gateway Services (Construction starts late 2011, opening in 2013)
96.9 97.4	Gloucester (A38)	J12	Gloucester (A38)
101.8 102.5	Stroud A419	J13	Stroud, Dursley A419
115.7	Michaelwood services	Services	Michaelwood services
118.4 119.0	Dursley B4509	J14	Thornbury B4509
130.5 131.5	South Wales, London M4	J15 Almondsbury Interchange	London, South Wales M4 (M48), Bristol (M32)
132.0 132.5	Thornbury, Filton A38	J16	Thornbury, Filton A38
135.5 136.2	Bristol (West), Cribbs Causeway A4018 B4055	J17	Bristol (West), Cribbs Causeway A4018
140.6 141.2	South Wales, Cardiff, Newport M49 (M4(W))	J18A	No access
141.6 142.0	Bristol A4 Avonmouth, Docks (A403)	J18	Avonmouth, Bristol (West), Airport A4
	Avonmouth Bridge	Bridge	Avonmouth Bridge
145.0	Portishead, Royal Portbury Dock, Clifton (Toll) A369 Gordano Services	J19 Services	Portishead, Royal Portbury Dock A369 Gordano services
155.6	Nailsea, Clevedon B3133	J20	Clevedon, Nailsea B3133
164.6	Weston-super-Mare, Bristol (South) A370	J21	Weston-super-Mare A370
175.6	Sedgemoor services	Services	Sedgemoor services
179.8	Burnham-on-Sea, Bristol (South), Airport A38 Weston-S-Mare (A370)	J22	Highbridge, Burnham-on-Sea A38
188.1	Highbridge A38 Glastonbury, Wells A39	J23	Glastonbury, Wells A39 Bridgwater A38
196.0 196.3	Bridgwater, Minehead A38 Bridgwater services	J24 Services	Minehead, A38 (A39) Bridgwater services
206.7 206.9	Taunton, Yeovil A358	J25	Honiton, Yeovil, Weymouth A358, Taunton (A38)
214.5	Taunton Deane services	Services	Taunton Deane services
217.8 218.0	Wellington, Taunton A38	J26	Wellington A38
230.7 231.3	Barnstaple, Tiverton A361, Wellington A38	J27	Barnstaple, Tiverton A361, Willand (B3181)
237.5 238.0	Cullompton B3181 Cullompton services	J28 Services	Cullompton B3181, Honiton A373
253.8 254.4	Honiton A30 Exeter International Airport	J29	Honiton A30 (East) Exeter International Airport
255.7 256.3	Exeter A379, Exmouth A376 Sidmouth (A3052), Exeter services	J30 Services	Exeter, Dawlish A379 Sidmouth, Exmouth A376 Exeter services
261.4 261.7	Start of motorway	J31	Bodmin, Okehampton A30
261.8	Bodmin, Okehampton A30 Non-motorway traffic		Road becomes A38 to Plymouth and Torquay (A380)
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Coordinates from Google Maps, taken at the approximate centre of the junction

Information above gathered from Advanced Direction Signs March to June 2011 (J4A - J31)

See also

• List of motorways in the United Kingdom

References

Sources

• Charlesworth, George (1984). A History of British Motorways. London: Thomas Telford Ltd. ISBN 0-7277-0159-2.

External links

• Central Motorway Police Group
• CBRD Motorway Database - M5
• CBRD videos - M5
• Major roads of Great Britain - M5
• The Motorway Archive
  • Junctions 1 to 2 and other Midlands motorways
  • Junctions 3 to 8
  • Junctions 3 to 8 widening
  • Junctions 8 to 22
  • Junctions 22 to 31