"amazing" motorway junction

Going on holiday? Just returned with pictures or news? Found an interesting website? Post everything international in here.

Moderator: Site Management Team

Post Reply
Bristol
Member
Posts: 162
Joined: Fri Mar 16, 2012 19:27
Location: Bristol

"amazing" motorway junction

Post by Bristol »

This image of a partly grade-separated junction with tunnels and toll booths (I think) has been making the rounds on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/aboutmech/phot ... =3&theater

Comments range from "I'd get lost" (not sure why, I assume you follow the signs) to "waste of time and money".

Is this a good junction design? It looks like they were quite short of space, having to build in in a valley with tunnels either side.
User avatar
Stevie D
Member
Posts: 8000
Joined: Wed Dec 20, 2006 17:19
Location: Yorkshire

Re: "amazing" motorway junction

Post by Stevie D »

Bristol wrote: Sat May 25, 2019 11:33 This image of a partly grade-separated junction with tunnels and toll booths (I think) has been making the rounds on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/aboutmech/phot ... =3&theater

Comments range from "I'd get lost" (not sure why, I assume you follow the signs) to "waste of time and money".

Is this a good junction design? It looks like they were quite short of space, having to build in in a valley with tunnels either side.
I would say that if you actually unravel the knots, it's a pretty simple junction, but it looks so complex because the topography means they have had to squeeze a significant height change into a very small area, which is why the sliproads loop round quite so much.
User avatar
mapboy
Member
Posts: 1111
Joined: Sat Oct 29, 2011 08:53
Location: Birmingham

Re: "amazing" motorway junction

Post by mapboy »

Stevie D wrote: Sat May 25, 2019 11:45I would say that if you actually unravel the knots, it's a pretty simple junction, but it looks so complex because the topography means they have had to squeeze a significant height change into a very small area, which is why the sliproads loop round quite so much.
Indeed, if one looks at the topology of the junction itself, one will notice it is simply a variant of the Directional-T identical to the Airport Interchange on the M56. The topography has then forced the junction to be folded to fit the constraints of the area.

From the SABRE Wiki: Airport Interchange :

Airport Interchange is junction 5 of the M56: the main junction connecting Manchester Airport to the motorway network. The junction is incomplete as the airport spur was to continue northwestwards to join the M63, now M60, near Sale. Additional slip roads would enable traffic from the south to reach the M63 by cutting the corner and avoiding a short section of [[A5103|Princess

... Read More