M6 Junction 12: Gailey Interchange – A5 Gailey
Junction 12 of the M6, known as the Gailey Interchange, is where the M6 meets the A5, for Gailey / Cannock. The nearest town is Penkridge, about 2.4 miles to the north, with Cannock (3 miles east) and Hednesford (4 miles east) also close by. Villages right beside the junction include Hatherton Junction.
Roads that meet at or beside this junction: A5. The main road at the junction is the A5.
From here, the drive north to junction 13 (Stafford) is about 4.6 miles and the drive south to junction 11A (North end of the M6 Toll) is about 1.4 miles. Junction 12 is about 40 miles from the start of the M6 at junction 1 and 170 miles from the end at junction 45.
- Junction M6 J12 · Gailey Interchange
- Signed for A5 · Gailey / Cannock
- Nearest town Penkridge, 2.4 miles north
- Map section Section 3: J10A–J16, Cannock, Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent
Live traffic at M6 junction 12
The speed strip below shows the M6 from junction 11 to junction 14, both directions, from National Highways’ live data, checked every five minutes.
Live traffic speed flow: M6 Junctions 11 to 14
Untick all three to see just the speeds. We show the important overhead signs and the mandatory speed limits (red ring); see every overhead sign.
Go to our live M6 traffic speed flow map ›
How busy is the M6 at junction 12?
The Department for Transport counts traffic on the stretches either side of this junction. On the stretch it labels J12 to J13 it counted 126,514 vehicles a day in 2025, 14% of them lorries. On the stretch it labels J11a to J12 it counted 120,925 vehicles a day in 2025, 14% of them lorries. See how busy the M6 is junction by junction.
| Stretch (DfT label) | All vehicles a day | Lorries | Miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| J12 to J13 | 126,514 | 17,214 (13.6%) | 5.3 |
| J11a to J12 | 120,925 | 16,438 (13.6%) | 1.6 |
© M6Traffic.co.uk · Statistics from the Department for Transport, 2025
Junctions either side
- J11ASaredonM6 Toll · North end of the M6 TollNearest town: Cannock, 2.3 miles
- J13Dunston InterchangeA449 · Stafford (south)Nearest town: Penkridge, 2.7 miles
Live traffic news at M6 Junction 12
Incidents and roadworks between Junction 11 and Junction 13 that we are aware of.
M6 Southbound to M62 Eastbound link road closure
00:305 Oct 2026reported 17 min ago
- Location
- M62 eastbound between J10 and J11
- Direction
- Southbound
- Lanes closed
- Carriageway closed
- Reason
- Tree and vegetation cutting work
- Schedule
- 22:00 Sun 4 Oct 2026 → 06:00 Mon 5 Oct 2026
Forecast - not confirmed
+ 2 more near Junction 12 - see all the M6 traffic news →
This is the news for Junction 12 only, not the whole M6. For the rest of the motorway see all the latest M6 traffic news, the overhead signs and the speed limits in force now.
Updated 00:47 Mon 5 Oct 2026