M5 Northbound Traffic
If you are heading north on the M5 — towards Bristol, Gloucester, Worcester and Birmingham — this page covers your side of the motorway. Traffic on a motorway is rarely the same in both directions, and neither is the news.
Heading the other way? See M5 southbound traffic »
18 matching items - showing 1-10 of 18 total available news items
M5 both directions Jct 27 to Jct 26 - HS & lane 1 & 2closure
23:3816 Sept 2026reported 23 min ago
- Location
- M5 northbound within J26
- Direction
- Both directions
- Lanes closed
- Lane closures
- Reason
- Maintenance work
- Schedule
- 20:45 Wed 16 Sept 2026 → 06:00 Thu 17 Sept 2026
M5 northbound Jct 26 to Jct 25 - lane closure 213/2-209/2
23:3816 Sept 2026reported 23 min ago
- Location
- M5 northbound between J26 and J25
- Direction
- Northbound
- Lanes closed
- Lane closures
- Reason
- Roadworks
- Schedule
- 20:02 Wed 16 Sept 2026 → 06:00 Thu 17 Sept 2026
M5 northbound Jct 14 entry slip road closure
23:3816 Sept 2026reported 23 min ago
- Location
- M5 J14 northbound access
- Direction
- Northbound
- Lanes closed
- Carriageway closed
- Reason
- Other
- Schedule
- 19:50 Wed 16 Sept 2026 → 06:00 Thu 17 Sept 2026
M5 northbound Jct 14 exit slip road closure
23:3816 Sept 2026reported 23 min ago
- Location
- M5 J14 northbound exit
- Direction
- Northbound
- Lanes closed
- Carriageway closed
- Reason
- Other
- Schedule
- 19:50 Wed 16 Sept 2026 → 06:00 Thu 17 Sept 2026
M5 southbound Jct 20 to Jct 21 single lane running (160/4 to 167/4)
23:3816 Sept 2026reported 23 min ago
- Location
- M5 southbound between J21 and J22
- Direction
- Southbound
- Lanes closed
- Restriction
- Reason
- Road improvement or upgrading
- Schedule
- 21:00 Wed 16 Sept 2026 → 06:00 Thu 17 Sept 2026
Hardshoulder closure
23:3816 Sept 2026reported 23 min ago
- Location
- M5 northbound between J21 and J20
- Direction
- Northbound
- Lanes closed
- Hard shoulder closed
- Reason
- Maintenance work
- Schedule
- 06:00 Tue 31 Dec 2024 → 06:00 Sat 19 Sept 2026
M5 northbound between J21 and J20
01:424 Sept 2026set 13 days ago⚠ 13 days old✓ Checked by us 00:02
Roadworks Speed Limit
M5 Northbound Jct 31 to 30 lane 1, 2 closure 259/6b - 256/8b
23:3816 Sept 2026reported 23 min ago
- Location
- M5 northbound between J31 and J30
- Direction
- Northbound
- Lanes closed
- Lane closures
- Reason
- Construction work
- Schedule
- 20:00 Wed 16 Sept 2026 → 06:00 Thu 17 Sept 2026
Forecast - not confirmed
M5 northbound Jct 22 to Jct 21 single lane running (167/4 to 161/4)
23:3816 Sept 2026reported 23 min ago
- Location
- M5 northbound between J22 and J21
- Direction
- Northbound
- Lanes closed
- Restriction
- Reason
- Road improvement or upgrading
- Schedule
- 21:00 Wed 16 Sept 2026 → 06:00 Thu 17 Sept 2026
Forecast - not confirmed
M5 both directions Jct 27 to Jct 26 - HS & lane 1 & 2closure
23:3816 Sept 2026reported 23 min ago
- Location
- M5 northbound between J27 and J26
- Direction
- Both directions
- Lanes closed
- Lane closures
- Reason
- Maintenance work
- Schedule
- 21:00 Wed 16 Sept 2026 → 06:00 Thu 17 Sept 2026
Forecast - not confirmed
Updated 00:02 Thu 17 Sept 2026
Powered by National Highways’ Transport Data Feeds.
How busy is the M5 northbound?
The Department for Transport counts the M5 separately in each direction, at 45 northbound count points out of 90 directional counts in total. The busiest measured northbound stretch is J6 to J5, carrying 74,551 vehicles a day northbound on its own.
| Stretch (northbound) | Vehicles per day | Lorries |
|---|---|---|
| J6 to J5 | 74,551 | 7,892 |
| J5 to M42 (4A) southern feeder | 71,431 | 6,682 |
| J1 to M5 split | 62,661 | 6,870 |
| J20 to J19 | 60,653 | 4,655 |
| J2 to J1 | 59,158 | 5,949 |
| J7 to J6 | 58,258 | 6,808 |
| J21 to J20 | 57,209 | 4,181 |
| J31 to J30 | 54,716 | 3,254 |
| J12 to 11a | 53,221 | 5,609 |
| J13 to J12 | 52,777 | 5,248 |
| J10 to J9 | 51,972 | 5,923 |
| 15/20 (M5/M4) to J14 | 49,565 | 4,650 |
These are one-direction figures. Some stretches carry more than one count point; where they do, the busiest measured point is shown. Figures are from the Department for Transport road traffic statistics, 2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.