M6toll closed this weekend as HS2 works continue over the motorway

Drivers across south Staffordshire and the wider Midlands are being warned to plan ahead this weekend, with the M6toll closing in both directions and the M42 shutting entirely while engineers install new railway structures for HS2.

The closures begin on Friday evening and, for northbound traffic, run until first thing on Monday morning.

What is closing, and when

M6toll northbound closes from 9pm on Friday 24 July until 5am on Monday 27 July. The closure runs from the point where the M6toll leaves the M6 northbound as far as Junction T1. Access from the M42 northbound will also be restricted throughout.

Drivers heading north are being directed to leave the M6 at Junction 4 and follow the A446 northbound, rejoining the M6toll at Junction T1.

M6toll southbound closes for a shorter period, from 10pm on Friday 24 July until midday on Saturday 25 July, with drivers needing to leave the road at Junction T2. The signed diversion runs along the A446 southbound to Junction 4 of the M6, then south on the M6.

The southbound carriageway reopens at midday on Saturday, but that is not the end of the disruption. The M42 stays shut between Junction 7 and Junction 6 southbound for the whole weekend, so anyone heading that way will still need to follow the A446 diversion.

The M42 itself is closed completely from 9pm on Friday until 5am on Monday, northbound between Junctions 6 and 9, and southbound between Junctions 7a and 6.

Why it is happening

The work is part of the construction of HS2, the new high speed railway between London and Birmingham. Balfour Beatty Vinci is delivering the Midlands section in partnership with HS2 Ltd, covering Solihull, Birmingham, Warwickshire and Staffordshire.

Building a railway across an existing motorway network means building over it. The HS2 route crosses the M42 and the M6toll at two separate points between Junctions 7a and 9 of the M42, and three new railway structures need to be installed above the carriageways. That work cannot be done with traffic running underneath, which is why full weekend closures are being used rather than lane restrictions.

More closures are coming

This weekend is not a one off. The engineering programme runs from June through to November 2026, with further weekend closures already scheduled:

• Friday 14 August, 9pm, to Monday 17 August, 6am
• Friday 18 September, 9pm, to Monday 21 September, 6am

Both follow a similar pattern, closing the M6toll northbound between the M6 diverge and Junction T1, and southbound at Junction T2, with diversions along the A446.

Outside these weekends, the M6toll is running as normal.

If you are travelling

The advice from M6toll is straightforward. Allow more time than you think you need, follow the signed diversion routes rather than trusting a satnav that may not know about the closures, and check travel updates before you set off rather than after you have joined the queue.

Full details of the closures, including maps, are on the M6toll website at m6toll.co.uk/hs2.

Anyone wanting to ask HS2 directly about the works can call the freephone enquiries line on 08081 434 434, or email HS2enquiries@hs2.org.uk.

We will continue to publish travel updates affecting Staffordshire as they are confirmed. If you spot something our readers should know about, get in touch.