Whetstone Interchange
Whetstone Interchange | |||
Location Map ( geo) | |||
| |||
County | |||
Leicestershire | |||
Highway Authority | |||
National Highways | |||
Junction Type | |||
Roundabout Interchange | |||
Roads Joined | |||
M1, M69, A5460 | |||
Junctions related to the A5460 | |||
Whetstone Interchange is junction 21 of the M1 and junction 3 of the M69.
The most striking feature of the junction is the ski jump where the M69 should have continued eastwards towards the A563. Had it been completed there would also have been a loop enabling southbound M1 traffic to bypass the roundabout to reach the M69.
History
The junction opened in 1965 with just the A46(M) heading east from the roundabout. A few years later plans were made for the M69 motorway running between Leicester and Coventry. Several designs were produced for upgrading the junction to cope with the additional traffic the new motorway would bring, some of which provided all freeflow movements. All the designs made use of the existing bridges for the roundabout beneath the M1. The eventual design that was built retained the roundabout and had provision for the M69 to run above the M1 just to the north of the junction to connect with the A563 Outer Ring Road although this part of the junction has never been built.
In 2006 plans were announced to upgrade the junction by providing dedicated freeflow links between M69 and M1 north in both directions. This would have utilised the ski jump built in the 1970s for the unbuilt A563 connection. The economic problems experienced during the subsequent years resulted in the plans being put on hold and nothing has been heard since. In 2013 extra lanes were added to parts of the junction to increase capacity as part of the pinch point programme.
Routes
Route | To | Notes |
The NORTH, Nottingham | ||
The SOUTH, London, N'hampton | ||
Birmingham (M6), Coventry | ||
Fosse Park, Leicester Ring Road (A563) | ||
Leicester (A46) |