M42 drivers urged 'avoid' as motorway set to close for three full weekends

Drivers are being urged to avoid a busy stretch of the M42 as the motorway closes for three full weekends. The first closure will happen next week, from Friday night to Monday morning.

The motorway will be shut between junctions 6 Solihull and 7/7a Coleshill Interchange next weekend, starting at 9pm on Friday, November 1. Birmingham Airport passengers and those visiting the NEC were also told to allow extra time for journeys and follow diversions.

The 'necessary' closures are part of the HS2 works to install a ‘twin box’ structure. This will then carry the high-speed railway line over the M42 near Birmingham Business Park and Birmingham NEC. HS2, together with its construction partner in the West Midlands, Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV), need the road closures to carry out preparation work and create a safe working area in the central reservation of the motorway.

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The box structure can then be built in position over the motorway, with a 50mph speed limit in place. The timings for the closures, between junctions 6 and 7a (northbound) and junction 7 and 6 (southbound) including the link arms from M6 south to M42 south and the M6 north to M42 south arm, are as follows:

• From 9pm on Friday 1 November until 5am on Monday 4 November
• From 9pm on Friday 6 December until 5am on Monday 9 December
• From 9pm on Friday 13 December until 5am on Monday 16 December

Doug Barnett, Senior Project Manager for HS2 Ltd, said: “Before we start building the structure, it’s important that we establish a safe environment for our workforce and road users. We also need to prepare the area for construction by removing pre-existing concrete foundations and installing ducting underground.

“While these temporary weekend closures are necessary at this stage, this does mean that we can then build the structure in place from the ground up – avoiding the need for any long-term closures of the motorway and keeping disruption to a minimum. We appreciate the patience of road users and are grateful for the ongoing support from National Highways as we carry out this important phase of work.”

A National Highways spokesperson added: “We are working closely with HS2 to ensure the impact on our roads and our road users is minimised as far as possible. But this is a complex engineering operation and we need to close the road to enable HS2 to carry out their work safely.

"This will inevitably cause some disruption and delays to journeys are expected so we are urging people to avoid the area if possible during the closures. If you aren’t able to take an alternative route, please allow extra time for journeys, particularly if heading to Birmingham Airport or the NEC, and follow the signed diversion routes.”