Rashwood Interchange

Rashwood Interchange forms junction 5 of the M5, connecting it with the A38. The junction is a dumbbell hybrid layout, with the western roundabout taking a tear-drop shape. The slip road to the southbound M5 has a local road connecting to it, thus meaning that motorway regulations do not begin immediately at the roundabout, despite chopsticks signage in place.

History

Newspaper showing the junction when it first opened in 1962

The junction was constructed as part of the first phase of the M5, opening on Friday 20 July 1962. The initial layout was slightly different to what it is today, prior to the widening of the M5 in the early 1990s, the junction was a parclo layout, which can easily be seen from the aerial imagery. During the widening, extra slip roads were added to the north eastern and south western corners of the junction, to eliminate the loops, turning the junction into a dumbbell.

In early 2002, the eastern roundabout was enlarged to enable the construction of a new housing estate on land in the south eastern corner of the roundabout. Later in 2009, the western roundabout was modified to form a tear drop, with signals placed on the slip road from the M5. This has had a positive effect on traffic leaving the motorway northbound, queuing traffic blocking the junction causes frequent tailbacks onto the southbound carriageway. Work took place at the end of 2015 to convert the eastern roundabout into a tear drop, again with signals on the M5 slip road in a similar way to the western roundabout.

Various plans have been made in the past to construct a new link road from the junction to the Stoke Works industrial estates, bypassing the narrow country lane currently used for access. These plans, however, have been intensively opposed by local residents.

Routes

Route	To	Notes
M5	The NORTH, Birmingham (M42)
M5	The SOUTH WEST, SOUTH WALES (M50)
A38	Bromsgrove
A38	Droitwich
C2004	Stoke Works

Services

Local services are available at this junction:

East of the junction

• McDonalds (Opened 2001)
• Express by Holiday Inn (Opened 2001)
• The Wych Way Inn (Opened 2004)

West of the junction

• Travelodge