Motorists and businesses have today paid tribute to the iconic Spaghetti Junction as the road marks 50 years since first opening to traffic.
The junction – known as Gravelly Hill Interchange – carries more than 200,000 vehicles each day and forms part of the M6 travelling through the West Midlands. It also links traffic travelling in and out of Birmingham city centre thanks to its seamless connection with the A38.
Originally designed for around 70,000 vehicles per day when the roads were much quieter, the elevated structure, maintained by National Highways, is a vital piece of infrastructure for the UK economy and continues to play a major part in helping freight and logistics companies move goods around the country.
The road is used by almost 26,000 lorries every day with more than 31,000 light good vehicles also using the junction and M6 for journeys.
As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations, National Highways has teamed up with Glenn Howells Architects in Birmingham to restore the original architect’s model which was built in the 1960s.
The project has been a labour of love for the practice’s modelmakers who have painstakingly repaired the structure, upgraded with landscaping and greenery and enclosed it into a conference table.
National Highways plans to take the model to various education establishments to help encourage youngsters to think about the world of engineering.
Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street said:
Spaghetti Junction has become an iconic Brummie landmark so it’s only right that we celebrate its 50th anniversary. At the time of its inception, it was actually considered a real engineering feat. So much so that my grandfather used to take me to visit whilst it was being built. Over the years, it has played an important role in enabling goods, people and business to flow in and out of the region and will no doubt continue to do so for many years to come – not least in the year we play host to the Commonwealth Games.
Did you know?
- It is the interchange of the M6, A38, A38 (M) connecting Birmingham and the M6.
- The sprawling design of Spaghetti Junction means there are more than 250 spans, crossbeams and expansion joints, more than 600 columns and more than 3,000 bridge bearings.
- The slip roads are around 2.5 miles long with the M6 itself less than a mile at the structure.
- The Birmingham Evening Mail described the road as a “cross between a plate of spaghetti and an unsuccessful attempt at a Staffordshire knot” coining the phrase ‘Spaghetti Junction’.
- It costs around £7m every year to maintain the structure and keep it in a safe and serviceable condition
- It was designed by engineer Sir Evan Owen Williams.
- Work started to build the road in 1968.
- It took four years to complete and is subject to regular maintenance programmes, many of which take place underneath the road.
- The highest point of the structure is circa 80ft in the air.
- The site covers around 30 acres with teams walking an average of 12-15 miles a day during inspections
- Spaghetti Junction continues to hold international acclaim having formed the backdrop for filming for Ready Player One, with some scenes filmed underneath the structure. The towering concrete columns formed the ideal backdrop to the film, which was in cinemas in 2018.
- For the filming, special templates featuring graffiti were stuck to the concrete structures and various props added into the set, including cars and tyres, with a ‘camp’ constructed for the new film.
- The film crew took considerable effort to protect the structure and ensure nothing was damaged during filming.