Press release

Work continuing to repair one of Britain’s iconic road structures

Highways England is continuing to work hard to repair the Aston Expressway and Spaghetti Junction in Birmingham with overnight closures set to run for an additional two weeks.

This news article was withdrawn on

This document is no longer current

Highways England recently lifted full weekend closures of Spaghetti Junction sooner than anticipated, which opened up an opportunity to reduce the overall duration of the ongoing work to replace waterproofing and repair damaged concrete on the road.

By extending the programme for two weeks now, Highways England can fully utilise the existing programme of repairs and avoid further disruption to motorists of between six to eight weeks.

The scheme was originally due to finish on 5 September but will now be completed mid-September. Two narrow lanes on the out of city road A38(M) will now remain in place until the work is completed.

Highways England Regional Divisional Director in the Midlands, Andrew Butterfield said:

By completing the work now, we can fully repair this section of the carriageway and reduce the duration of work and more importantly the risk of emergency repairs during the colder and wetter winter months. Safety is our number one priority and these repairs are vital in helping us to protect this iconic structure for years to come.

We continue to work closely with Birmingham City Council to manage the repair programme and although further work is likely in the future, we are making sure that we fully utilise the existing programme of repairs to minimise disruption.

Motorists travelling into Birmingham city centre can find out more information about trains, buses and trams online. Information on the scheme, including a map of diversion routes and closure details, is available on the Highways England website. Drivers can get live traffic updates from Traffic England or by following @HighwaysWMIDS on Twitter.

The Highways England Customer Contact Centre is also available 24 hours a day on 0300 123 5000.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

Published 30 August 2016