M6 Junction 6 (Gravelly Hill — Spaghetti Junction)
Gravelly Hill Interchange — known to almost everyone as Spaghetti Junction — is the best-known junction on the British motorway network, and one of the most complex. It links the M6 with the A38(M) Aston Expressway into Birmingham city centre.
Live traffic speed flow: M6 Junctions 5 to 7
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 ›
NOTE: The speed flow, overhead sign messages or other information shown on our live traffic speed flow map is updated every few minutes. We cross check the data and aim to provide warnings if there could be a delay or an inaccurate speed reading. There can be occasions, beyond our control, and despite our best efforts where the speed flow could be inaccurate. We cannot therefore guarantee the speed you can expect on any stretch of the motorway is always accurately shown. However we hope you will find our live traffic speed flow map a useful tool in trying to plan your journey. Safe driving.
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How Busy Is the M6 at Junction 6?
The Department for Transport counts traffic on this stretch of the M6 — from Junction 6 to Junction 5, a length of 3.2 miles. These are the 2025 figures.
| Measure | Per day |
|---|---|
| All motor vehicles | 147,469 |
| Cars and taxis | 100,593 |
| Lorries (HGVs) | 18,447 — 12.5% of all traffic |
| Length of this stretch | 3.2 miles |
© M6Traffic.co.uk · Statistics from the Department for Transport
That makes it the 8th busiest measured stretch by total traffic, and the 10th busiest for lorries. It is counted at 99 separate points along its length — see how busy the M6 is junction by junction.
When Spaghetti Junction Is Slowest: Our Own Speed Readings
Over the working week of Monday 12 to Friday 16 October 2026, our own record of National Highways' live speeds shows the evening rush as the hardest time to cross Spaghetti Junction heading north. Between 15:00 and 19:00, northbound traffic between Junctions 5 and 7 averaged 36 mph, against the 41 mph National Highways normally expects, and the slowest single hour was 16:00 (4pm), at an average of 26 mph. That is the pattern of a commuter road: traffic leaving Birmingham in the late afternoon. Southbound, the pressure comes earlier in the day, with the slowest average at 06:00 (6am), 42 mph. Over the five weekdays we counted about 680 minutes (11.33 hours) of stop-start traffic northbound in the evening peak alone.
| Time of day | Northbound | Southbound | Minutes of stop-start (north / south) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overnight (00:00 to 06:00) | 56 mph (usual 54) | 54 mph (usual 56) | 120 (2 hours) / 45 |
| Morning peak (06:00 to 10:00) | 47 mph (usual 50) | 47 mph (usual 43) | 220 (3.67 hours) / 295 (4.92 hours) |
| Daytime (10:00 to 15:00) | 45 mph (usual 46) | 53 mph (usual 51) | 275 (4.58 hours) / 40 |
| Evening peak (15:00 to 19:00) | 36 mph (usual 41) | 54 mph (usual 49) | 680 (11.33 hours) / 55 |
| Evening (19:00 to midnight) | 58 mph (usual 52) | 58 mph (usual 58) | 195 (3.25 hours) / 160 (2.67 hours) |
© M6Traffic.co.uk · Our own record of National Highways’ live speed data (NTIS), Monday 12 to Friday 16 October 2026, averaged over the weekdays; “usual” is National Highways’ own expected speed for that hour. Stop-start means readings under 15 mph over at least 400 metres. One week of readings: we will add more weeks as they are collected.
Traffic count figures on this page are from the Department for Transport road traffic statistics, 2025.
M6 serious incident · Traffic stopped
Live speed data from National Highways suggests traffic is stopped or crawling on the M6 southbound between J6 and J5, at about 5 mph at 05:55 (5:55am).
Live traffic news at M6 Junction 6
Incidents and roadworks between Junction 5 and Junction 7 that we are aware of.
M6 - M42 link road hardshoulder closure northbound
05:42 (5:42am)23 Oct 2026reported 14 min ago
- Location
- link road from M6 J4A southbound to M42 J8 southbound
- Direction
- Northbound
- Lanes closed
- Hard shoulder closed
- Reason
- Road improvement or upgrading
- Schedule
- 05:00 (5am) Mon 5 Oct 2026 → 05:00 (5am) Mon 2 Nov 2026
+ 8 more near Junction 6 - see all the M6 traffic news →
This is the news for Junction 6 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 05:57 (5:57am) Fri 23 Oct 2026