National Highways is carrying out resurfacing work on the M6 southbound between junctions 6 and 4 as part of a programme running until 16 October. The next phase will affect the section between junction 6 at Gravelly Hill – better known as Spaghetti Junction – and junction 5 at Castle Bromwich.
Between 1 and 8 September, the M6 southbound will be fully closed between junctions 6 and 5 during the authority’s overnight working hours of 21:00 to 06:00. The programme is scheduled for weeknights only. National Highways has also confirmed that no work will take place on 31 August.
M6 southbound junctions 6 and 4 diversion route map:
National Highways has published diversion maps for the works and warns that planned closures can change at short notice. Operators are therefore advised to check the authority’s daily closure information before journeys through Birmingham.
M6 southbound junction 5 to 4 diversion route map:
More closures to follow from late September
The disruption will not end with the early-September phase. After the 1–8 September closures, the programme is currently scheduled to pause before full overnight closures between junctions 6 and 5 return from 28 September to 16 October. These will again take place on weeknights between 21:00 and 06:00.
The work forms part of a much longer maintenance programme on the southbound M6 that has been running since spring. Previous phases have included full overnight closures between junctions 6 and 4 and between junctions 6 and 5, as well as periods when three lanes were closed and traffic was kept moving using the hard shoulder.
National Highways says the purpose of the programme is to resurface the southbound carriageway and keep it in good condition for drivers. Procurement information for the project refers to work on the Gravelly Hill and Bromford section involving pavement and joints, with Heidelberg Materials awarded a contract worth approximately £1.65 million.
The J5–J6 section is largely elevated: National Highways documentation identifies the Bromford and Gravelly Hill viaducts as part of the route, including Spaghetti Junction itself.
