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- ''This article concerns the M5 motorway in England. See M5 for other roads numbered "M5".
The M5 is a motorway in England. It runs from the M6 near Walsall to Exeter in Devon. Heading south from the M6, the M5 runs east of West Bromwich and west of Birmingham. The road continues past Droitwich Spa, Worcester, Tewkesbury, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Bristol, Weston-super-Mare, Bridgwater and Taunton on its way to Exeter, ending at Junction 31. It is the primary gateway to south-west England and can get very busy in summer months., especially after 3pm on a friday afternoon until 8pm between Junctions 15 and 24.
Construction Phases
The M5 motorway was originally built as a four-lane motorway (two lanes in each direction). The middle section, Junction 4 (Lydiate Ash), in the north, to a trumpet junction with the M50, in the south, was built first. 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.
The M5 motorway was later extended, in the late 1960s / early 1970s, northwards from Junction 4 and Frankley service area was built. Much of this northern extension beyond Junction 3, from about Quinton to its junction with the M6, was elevated motorway built on concrete pillars.
It was also extended southwards in the late 1960s to mid 1970s and the new motorway extension passed over the top of the original trumpet junction, which was then converted into a complete roundabout, now Junction 8. A new services area was also built nearby, Strensham Services; and the south-bound slip road links into this roundabout.
The M5 was converted to six lanes (three lanes in each direction) in the early 1990s.
Now, because of the high volume of traffic in the summer, some sections of carriageway have a fourth crawler lane; particularly where the M5 climbs up the side of hills. The Avonmouth Bridge was converted to eight lanes (four lanes in each direction) in the early 2000s; and parts of the M5 between Junctions 17 and 20 are becoming 7 lanes (four lanes climbing the hills and three lanes descending the hills).
Features
There are many notable features of the M5. The massive interchange, Almondsbury Interchange, between the M5 and the M4 near Bristol is one of them. 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. Some of the road later on is in a distinctive pink color due to the surface material used on the motorway.
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 International 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. The M5 is not a substitute for the A5 road which runs from London to Holyhead.
Junctions
Trivia
- In the Fawlty Towers episode Waldorf Salad a guest from California complains that he "couldn't find the freeway, had to take a little back street called the M5."
- The automotive programme Top Gear in Series 7 Episode 2, showed one traveller's attempts to plan a route avoiding the M5, via the RAC plc website. The route suggested by RAC took her into Ireland, the Atlantic Ocean, and France.
See also
External links
Motorways in England | Transport in Gloucestershire | Transport in Somerset | Transport in Staffordshire | Transport in the West Midlands | Transport in Worcestershire | M5 (motorväg, Storbritannien)
"M5 motorway"