Terminal roundabout, view east, 17 July 1996

Terminal roundabout, view east (see all photos of the same view)

The diversion route to and from the M6 south can be seen here, using a section of road that will eventually be the westbound M65. It's clear that the sections of roadway that would be required for the diversion were prioritised over everything else: no other parts of the motorway are anywhere near finished.

Date
Direction of view
East
Structures visible

Structure 5 (A49 underbridge)

What's new

The road that made no sense

It was the UK's only single-carriageway motorway, and twenty years ago it ceased to exist. This is the story of the strange fascination it held, and of my place in history.

The forever bottleneck, part 2

The second part of the story, where we learn why exactly the M4 gets narrower on the final approach to Europe’s biggest city.

The forever bottleneck, part 1

The M4 into London was one of the UK's earliest and most ambitious motorway projects. It was bold, pioneering... and almost instantly regretted.

Share this page

Have you seen...

The Magic Roundabout

Officially the seventh most frightening thing on the road network - but actually it might just be the most efficient junction ever designed.