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M50
The M50, looking south-west from the Ryton Bridge towards Ross-on-Wye
Route information
Maintained by National Highways
Length	21.6 mi (34.8 km)
Existed	1960–present
History	Constructed 1958–62
Major junctions
East end	Strensham
Major intersections	M5 motorway
West end	Ross-on-Wye
Section 1
Major intersections	A449 road
Location
Country	United Kingdom
Road network
Roads in the United Kingdom Motorways A and B road zones
← M49 → M53

The M50 is a dual two-lane motorway in Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Herefordshire, England. Sometimes referred to as the Ross Spur, it is a 22 miles (35 km) connection of the M5 motorway to a point near Ross-on-Wye, where it joins the A40 road continuing westward into Wales. The motorway was fully opened in 1962.

Route

The M50 runs between junction 8 of the M5 motorway, 4 miles (6.4 km) NNE of Tewkesbury on the Gloucestershire-Worcestershire border; and the junction with the A449, the A40 and the A465 ("Heads of the Valleys Road") taking traffic into South Wales.

Leaving the M5 at junction 8, it passes north of Tewkesbury then south of Ledbury. Between junctions 1 and 2 chiefly for these towns respectively, it crosses the River Severn on the Queenhill Bridge and Viaduct over the flood plain. After passing north of Newent, the motorway terminates at junction 4.

History

The construction works for the M50 were let under four contracts:

• Contract 1 was awarded to Tarmac Construction
• Contracts 2 and 3 were awarded to R M Douglas Construction
• Contract 4 was awarded to A E Farr Ltd

Both contracts were undertaken between 1958 and 1962:

On 3 March 1958, Harold Watkinson, the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation fired a starting flare during the inauguration ceremony in Herefordshire to signal the start of construction of the M50. Junctions 1 to 4 opened in 1960 and the section between the M5 to junction 1 opened in 1962.

The route forms a strategic (that is, trunk or main) route from the Midlands and northern Britain to South Wales (also including the A449 and A40 and so was constructed as an early priority.) It is one of the few British motorways not to have been widened, instead retaining its original layout of two lanes in each direction.

Murder of Marie Wilks

In 1988, a woman was abducted from the hard shoulder of the M50 and found murdered three miles further up the motorway.

Junctions

This article contains a bulleted list or table of intersections which should be presented in a properly formatted junction table. Please consult this guideline for information on how to create one. Please improve this article if you can. (December 2021)

Data from driver location signs are used to provide distance and carriageway identifier information.

Services

After both ends of the M50 are motorway service stations:

• Strensham services operated by RoadChef, north of the M50's northeastern terminus (unnamed, nominally 0) junction with junction 8 of the M5.
• Esso garage on the combined short section of the A449 road and A40 remains westbound.

History

Instead of the latter, beyond junction 4 was a larger Ross Spur Services operated by Welcome Break which closed in the 2000s.

Descriptions

The starting junction (junction 8 of the M5) was originally a free-flowing trumpet-style, then converted to a roundabout with M5 flyover when the M5 was widened in the 1990s. Junction 1, where the M50 meets the A38, is a partial cloverleaf. Junction 2 has full slips roads from the deceleration lane into the slip roads save the kinked eastbound exit to local roads. Junction 3 consists of dual-carriageway-style 90° exits due to cost, low traffic volume and the style of road; however this has been the scene of various accidents.

The long disused railway bridge over the motorway which carried the Tewkesbury and Malvern Railway was dismantled in 2012 and donated to the Bluebell Railway.

See also

• List of motorways in the United Kingdom
• Murder of Melanie Hall – another unsolved murder of a woman who, similarly to Marie Wilks, was found dead by the nearby and conjoining M5 motorway

References

1. ^ "Ross-on-Wye – M50 Motorway". Ross-on-Wye.com & TheVista.co.uk. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
2. "The Motorway Archive – M50 dates page". Iht.org. Archived from the original on 4 May 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
3. "The Motorway Archive – M50 Scheme Page". Iht.org. 3 March 1958. Archived from the original on 3 May 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
4. "M50 murder – Timeline". BBC News. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
5. "Traffic England Live Traffic Condition Map (selected Popups)". Highways Agency. Archived from the original on 10 February 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
6. Major Roads of Great Britain Narrative description of the route
7. "The Motorway Archive – M5 Widening". Iht.org. Archived from the original on 19 February 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2012.

External links

• Motorway Archive – M50
• Pathetic Motorways – M50

v t e Motorways in the United Kingdom
Great Britain	M1 M11 M18 M180 M181 A1(M) A167(M) A194(M) A1077(M) M2 M20 M23 M25 M26 M27 M271 M275 M3 M32 A3(M) A38(M) A308(M) A329(M) M4 M40 M42 M45 M48 M49 A48(M) A404(M) M5 M50 M53 M54 M55 M56 M57 M58 A57(M) A58(M) M6 M6 Toll M60 M61 M62 M65 M66 M67 M69 M602 M606 M621 A64(M) A66(M) A627(M) M73 M74 M77 A74(M) M8 M80 M876 M898 A8(M) A823(M) M9 M90
Northern Ireland	M1 M2 M3 M5 M12 M22 A8(M)
Former	M10 M41 M63 M85 A18(M) A40(M) A41(M) A102(M) A601(M) A6144(M)
Unbuilt	M12 M15 M16 M31 M64 M4 relief road
Junctions ( Category)	Almondsbury Broxden Catthorpe Charing Cross, Glasgow Denton Island Handy Cross Longbridge Lydiate Ash Scotch Corner Spaghetti Junction Switch Island Thorney Thorpe Thurcroft
Bridges	Auchenshuggle Avonmouth Bromford Don Friarton Gathurst Kingston Medway to Nowhere Ouse Rakewood Scammonden Prince of Wales Severn Thames Thelwall Tinsley Queensferry Usk Weaver
Related articles	National Highways Traffic officers South Wales Trunk Road Agent Traffic officers Transport Scotland DfI Roads Preston By-pass Smart motorway Motorway service area List
Category Commons

v t e Transport in Worcestershire
Road	Motorways M5 M42 M50 A-roads A38 A44 A46 A422 A435 A441 A442 A448 A449 A456 A491 A4025 A4536 Service stations Frankley services Hopwood Park services Strensham services Other Icknield Street List of settlements on the A38
Rail	Main lines Cross-City Line Cross Country Route North Warwickshire Line Birmingham to Worcester via Bromsgrove Line Birmingham to Worcester via Kidderminster line Cotswold Line Closed lines Oxford–Worcester–Wolverhampton line (Dudley to Wolverhampton section) Stations Alvechurch Barnt Green Blakedown Bromsgrove Droitwich Spa Evesham Great Malvern Hagley Hartlebury Honeybourne Kidderminster Malvern Link Pershore Redditch Worcester Foregate Street Worcester Shrub Hill Wythall Closed stations Astwood Bank Aston-under-Hill Beckford Bengeworth Bredon Eckington Foley Park Halt Hinton Littleton and Badsey Malvern Wells Ripple Upton-on-Severn Wadborough Heritage stations Arley Bewdley Kidderminster Town Northwood Halt Heritage railways Severn Valley Railway Under construction Broadway Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway
Buses	Routes Worcestershire bus route 144 Companies Diamond West Midlands First Midland Red Other Bus transport in Bromsgrove
Waterways	Rivers River Arrow River Avon River Severn River Stour River Teme Canals Droitwich Canal Leominster Canal Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal Worcester and Birmingham Canal Other Diglis Basin Hampton Ferry Tardebigge Engine House Tardebigge Locks
Footpaths	Long-distance footpaths Cotswold Way Monarch's Way Severn Way Worcestershire Way Wychavon Way
Cycle paths	Route 5 Route 54

• Motorways in England
• Transport in Gloucestershire
• Transport in Herefordshire
• Roads in Worcestershire