A38(M) motorway
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The A38(M) is a short motorway in Birmingham, England, opened on May 24, 1972. It forms part of the A38 and is also known as the Aston Expressway.
The A38(M) runs from the A4540 Inner Ring Road through Aston, cutting through the grounds of Aston Hall, to the junction with the M6 motorway at Spaghetti Junction. It is a tidal flow road, in that more lanes are available travelling into the city during the morning rush hour, and more travelling out of the city during the evening rush hour (there are 7 lanes in total). There is no central reservation; instead, one of the middle lanes is always kept empty by means of electronic overhead signs. Access to the centre lane, which contains a drainage channel, is now forbidden to motorcycles because of a fatal accident which happened when one of the drainage covers dislodged. Other than that, surprisingly, the motorway has not encountered a fatal accident to this day. Due to the nature of the road, the speed limit is reduced to 50 mph (80 km/h).
The City Centre end of the motorway runs in a cutting; the other end is elevated.
The motorway is unusual in that it is crossed by a gantry which used to house a vinegar pipeline, carrying the condiment from one part of the HP Sauce factory to the other.
Although not officially numbered the junctions are as follows (from Birmingham City Centre)
- A4540 - Birmingham Inner Ring Road (Dartmouth Circus)
- A5127 - Aston (Park Circus)
- M6/A38 - Gravelly Hill Interchange (Spaghetti Junction)
See also
External links
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