Spaghetti Junction
Spaghetti Junction is the nickname of the Gravelly Hill Interchange, junction 6 of the M6 in north Birmingham, a tangle of elevated roads opened in 1972. The name was coined by a newspaper before it was finished, when drawings of the layout looked like a plate of spaghetti.
In practice
The junction links the M6 with the A38(M) Aston Expressway into the city centre and several local roads, on many levels of concrete flyovers built above rivers, a canal and railway lines. It became a national symbol of Birmingham as Britain's motor city in the 1960s and 1970s and is still one of the busiest junctions in the country. Beneath it, the canals carry on quietly at water level.
Why it matters to newcomers
Traffic reports mention Spaghetti Junction daily, and it is the usual route between the city centre and the M6. If you drive in at rush hour, allow extra time; rail and tram into the centre are often quicker. The canal towpath underneath offers a strange and memorable walk.
Related
- Island - the local word for the roundabouts at road level
- Bull Ring - rebuilt after the motor-age centre failed
- Gas Street Basin - the canals the junction spans
Source: Birmingham City Council.