M69 motorway

M69 motorway
Route information
Length:	15.7 mi (25.3 km)
Existed:	1976 – present
History:	Constructed 1976–77
Major junctions
North end:	Leicester
	M6 motorway M1 motorway
South end:	Coventry
Location
Primary destinations:	Nuneaton, Hinckley
Road network
Roads in the United Kingdom Motorways A and B road zones

Heading east along the road

The M69 is a 15.7-mile (25.3 km) dual three lane dual carriageway motorway in Leicestershire and Warwickshire, England. It runs between junction 21 of the M1 near Leicester and junction 2 of the M6 near Coventry. It opened in 1977.

History

The motorway, also known at the time as the 'Coventry – Leicester Motorway'^[1] was completed in 1977 following a public inquiry in 1972.^[2] It took traffic from the A46, which was subsequently downgraded.

Route

Starting at the northeastern suburbs of Coventry at junction 2 of the M6, the motorway crosses the Coventry Canal and then continues northeast past Bulkington and west of Wolvey before turning more easterly to run south of Hinckley. It then crosses the Birmingham to Peterborough railway line before ending on the southwestern edge of Leicester.

The motorway has no services.

Proposed developments

M1/M69 Junction

There is an aspiration to construct a new slip road and road bridge for traffic travelling southbound on the M1 south to join the M69. The M1 would also be widened to dual 4 lane or dual 5 lane between junctions 21 and 21a.^[3]

In popular culture

Since the completion of the M69 motorway linking Coventry and Leicester, the motorway's number has given its name to the derby between the two football clubs playing in each city – Coventry City and Leicester City. These two clubs are rivals in the M69 derby.

Junctions

M69 motorway junctions
Southbound exits* (B carriageway)	Junction	Northbound exits* (A carriageway)	Coordinates[4]
Road continues as to Coventry (South) and Leamington Spa via A46'	M6, J2	Coventry (North), Birmingham, The South, Rugby, Kettering (A14) M6 Coventry (Central) A4600 Ansty B4065 Non-motorway traffic	52°26′14″N 1°25′24″W / 52.43724°N 1.42341°W
M6 Birmingham, Coventry (Central) A4600 Ansty B4065		Start of motorway
Nuneaton A5 Hinckley B4109	J1	Nuneaton A5 Hinckley B4109	52°30′55″N 1°21′40″W / 52.51516°N 1.36123°W
Hinckley B4669	J2	No access (on-slip only)	52°32′25″N 1°19′01″W / 52.54017°N 1.31698°W
Start of motorway	J3 Terminus	Leicester A5460 (A563) The North, Nottingham, Northampton M1	52°36′04″N 1°11′46″W / 52.6011°N 1.19604°W

Note: M69 runs south-westerly / north-easterly for the entire route.

See also

• List of motorways in the United Kingdom

References

1. "Motorways Programme HC Deb 4 May 1971 vol 816 cc332-5W". Hansard. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
2. The Motorway Archive – M69
3. "M1/M69 Public Consultation Information – The new solution". Highways Agency. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
4. Junction coordinates from OpenStreetMap

External links

Route map: Bing / Google

• The Motorway Archive – M69