Shortest distance between two UK motorway exits

[roadtester]

I can't believe we haven't already got a thread on this but I couldn't find one, so here goes.

I've been away on the road a lot in the last few weeks and the other day, I had cause to join the M40 going south at J15 (Longbridge Island) and leave it again at J14. The distance between the point at which you leave the J15 slip road on joining the M40 and the start of the slip-road to leave at J15 is only about 0.6 miles.

I don't really know, but I suspect that this could be the shortest distance between two junctions on the UK network - barring exceptions like urban motorways or where those odd situations where two junction numbers are applied to what is effectively one interchange/set-up.

Or am I wrong?

[JamesA44]

I'd have thought the distance between J7 and J8 on the M6 was less than that, but I'm not able to check at the moment.

J15 to J16 on the M5 might be even less than that.

[JammyDodge]

Measured from the end/start of the slip roads, along the Solid line demarking the Hard Shoulder:
M40 J15-14 Southbound - 600m
M40 J14-15 Northbound - 805m
Measured from the end/start of the 2nd slip lanes, along the line between lane 1 and 2. (this is to make the measurements roughly equal)
M6 J8-7 Southbound - 370m
M6 J7-8 Northbound - 223m

Both above where rounded to the nearest meter using Google Maps measuring tool

I didn't do M5 J16/15 as i consider it part of the same multiplex, and technically, it would be a negative distance due to leaving the M5 before the M4 slip joins

[Rambo]

Junctions 8 & 9 southbound at Ellesmere Port on the M53 are virtually on top of each other.

[Osthagen]

Going south on the A167(M), the unnumbered exit for the A186 is only 0.2 miles from that for the A193.

The northbound slip from the former is only 79 yards from the latter.

[Chris Bertram]

I must admit that I thought that the traditional answer to this was M4 J41 at Port Talbot, where the off-slips are immediately *after* the on-slips, so traffic wanting to leave the motorway stands more than a fighting chance of being side-swiped by traffic joining the motorway. However, if that's disqualified for allegedly being a single junction, then J40 is a pretty short distance to the east.

[frediculous_biggs]

Surely the two junctions that overlap in central Glasgow on the M8 must be up there

[Bryn666]

Truly urban motorways are not part of the question.

The distance between M57 J5 and J6 is very short for an NSL motorway. The first fork sign is at 1/4m northbound and J5 hasn't finished merging in (it's a lane gain) before the 300m marker is reached.

An even closer distance is the M53 between J8 and J9. The merge from J8 finishes just as the diverge for J9 begins. It's signed with double forks at J8.

[Chris Bertram]

Truly urban motorways are not part of the question.

The distance between M57 J5 and J6 is very short for an NSL motorway. The first fork sign is at 1/4m northbound and J5 hasn't finished merging in (it's a lane gain) before the 300m marker is reached.

An even closer distance is the M53 between J8 and J9. The merge from J8 finishes just as the diverge for J9 begins. It's signed with double forks at J8.

"Hooton Industrial Road"

[jabbaboy]

Do service stations count as a junction if so it's about 300m from Junction 64 to Washington Services northbound.

If you want to be pedantic you could say the junction from the A1(M) merge to the first junction on the A195 but that depends if you want to class the hidden A195(M) as a Motorway or not. 'Technically' it is.

If you really really want to be pedantic you could argue southbound it's about 40 metres across the A195(M) from Washington Services to the A1(M).

I'll leave the last 2 for debate.

[jervi]

Would junction 14 of the M25 count? Kinda two junctions in one, but use the same sliproads

[the cheesecake man]

Do service stations count as a junction if so it's about 300m from Junction 64 to Washington Services northbound.

If you want to be pedantic you could say the junction from the A1(M) merge to the first junction on the A195 but that depends if you want to class the hidden A195(M) as a Motorway or not. 'Technically' it is.

If you really really want to be pedantic you could argue southbound it's about 40 metres across the A195(M) from Washington Services to the A1(M).

I'll leave the last 2 for debate.

If we're accepting those, then how about Strensham Services Southbound where the exit from the services takes you straight on to the exit slip for the M50 junction, giving a negative distance between them?

[c2R]

I'm pretty sure we did have a thread on it before and decided the M8 heading westbound between 17 and 18 was the shortest

[solocle]

J7 and J8 on the M40 are quite close together... about 0.8 miles? But there aren't public northbound slips at J7 for precisely that reason

[A42_Sparks]

I'm pretty sure we did have a thread on it before and decided the M8 heading westbound between 17 and 18 was the shortest

The exits are only about 100 yards apart but I think the OP asked for non-urban motorway junctions.

[Halmyre]

The distance between 1C and 2 on the M90 northbound is 0.5 miles.

[Stellar Forces]

How far is it westbound on M180 between M18 and J1? Looks to be only around half a mile and definitely not urban...

[AndyB]

M1(NI) J7-J8 is half a mile in each direction, but google maps isn't going more precise than that.

M2 J1a to J1b is NSL, so I wonder if it would count, even though it is not rural, and it is only a third of a mile gore to gore.

[NICK 647063]

The shortest I know is on the A64(M) in Leeds eastbound the A58 exits then as the on slip merges from woodhouse lane A660 the exit on the right for North Street actually starts and yes it’s a right hand exit.

Although not the shortest I often use the M1 south between J45 and J44 and no sooner have you joined you seem to be leaving.

[Gareth Thomas]

There is half a mile of carriageway between the end of the entry sliproad for Junction 12 on the M20 and the beginning of the exit slip road for Junction 13. The same distance applied between the exit slip roads for Junctions 10 and 10a.

Or if you go by Google Maps, which hasn't quite updated itself at Junction 10, we have this.