M42 motorway

M42 shield
M42
M42 A45 junction 10y07.JPG
The M42 from a bridge just east of the M42/A45, looking south towards junction 6
Route information
Part of E05
Maintained by National Highways
Length40.0 mi (64.4 km)
Existed1976–present
HistoryOpened: 1976
Completed: 1989
Major junctions
Southwest endCatshill
Major intersections
M5 motorway

J3a → M40 motorway

J7 → M6 motorway

M6 motorway

M6 motorway

M6 Toll
Northeast end A42 Appleby Magna
Location
CountryUnited Kingdom
CountiesWorcestershire, Warwickshire, West Midlands, Leicestershire
Primary
destinations
Bromsgrove
Solihull
Birmingham Airport
Tamworth
Road network
M40 M45

The M42 motorway runs north east from Bromsgrove in Worcestershire to just south west of Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire, passing Redditch, Solihull, the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) and Tamworth on the way, serving the east of the Birmingham metropolitan area. The section between the M40 and junction 4 of the M6 forms – though unsigned as such – a part of Euroroute E05. Northwards beyond junction 11, the route is continued as the A42; the junctions on this section, 12–14, are numbered like a continuation of the motorway, but the road has non-motorway status from here.