Hanchurch Interchange

The site of the interchange in 1962 prior to work starting on M6

As a temporary terminus in 1963

Fully open on the 1965 OS One Inch map

Hanchurch Interchange is junction 15 of the M6. It opened in 1962, and was a short-lived temporary terminus for the section to the south..

The junction suffers from a cramped layout with tight loops and short merges. Various proposals to rebuild the junction have been made over the years as part of widening the M6.

Early 1990s proposals

1994 proposal

The first proposal was made in the early 1990s to parallel widen the M6. The junction would be rebuilt so the A500 would freeflow onto the M6. This scheme attracted objections from local residents so a modified scheme was made in 1993 to terminate the A500 on a small roundabout with just freeflowing access to and from the M6 southbound carriageway. Further alterations were made in 1994 to replace several roundabouts with traffic lights. This scheme is shown here. In 1995 the scheme was reviewed with the intention of reducing the scale of the motorway widening and was later abandoned. In 1997 new proposals to widen the M6 were made with a new lane either side and keeping the existing bridges. This would have kept the junction as it is.

2006 proposals

In 2006 the large scale proposals were back on. Two concepts to increase capacity on the M6 were drawn up. One was to provide an additional lane by replacing most of the bridges and the other was to continue the M6 Toll northwards as the M6 Expressway. The junction would have been upgraded in both plans but only the M6 Expressway scheme provides freeflowing movements for all M6-A500 turns.

The Expressway scheme was abandoned the same year leaving just the conventional widening to be assessed but this too was abandoned in 2009 as costs couldn't be justified. The eventual scheme to increase capacity will be a Smart Motorway but it's unknown at this stage whether it will include a rebuild of the junction.

• 

  Widening to D4M

• 

  M6 Expressway

Routes

Route	To	Notes
M6	The NORTH WEST, Manchester
M6	The SOUTH, Birmingham
A500	Stoke-on-Trent, Stone (A34), Uttoxeter (A50)
A519	Eccleshall, Shrewsbury (A53)
A519	Newcastle, Keele University
A5006	Stoke-on-Trent, Stone (A34), Uttoxeter (A50)
M6 Toll	The NORTH WEST, Manchester
M6 Toll	The SOUTH, Birmingham

Links

• Roads.org.uk:Bad Junctions