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Motorway Database

You are here: Home - Motorway Database - M40

The M40 was built in two sections. Originally it ran from London to Oxford, basically bypassing the congested A40. In the late 1980's and early 1990's it became the last big construction project when it was eventually extended to hit the M42 at Birmingham, to take strain off the M1/M6 route.

Until very recently there were no services on the M40, meaning a drive from Folkestone to Birmingham could be done (M20, M26, M25, M40, M42) without passing one service area. Stand-up comedian Harry Hill incorporated this into his routine for a short while ("no services on the M40? What are we supposed to do?"). Services now exist on the M20, M25 and M40.

Both of England's famous Universities, Oxford and Cambridge, have a direct motorway connection to London. But the M40 reached Oxford almost a decade before the M11 got as far as Cambridge. Rumour has it that this is because more members of Parliament had gone to Oxford than Cambridge at the time the schemes were being discussed...

Images

Views of the M40 from on and off the road. If you have a photo to contribute, contact me.

There are presently no images in this section.

Construction Timeline

When the various parts of the M40 were built, listed in chronological order. An asterisk (*) indicates a temporary terminus located close to a present-day junction.

Open		Jct		Section
1967		J4-5		Handycross - Stokenchurch
1969		J2*-4		Holtspur Temp. Terminal - Handycross
1971		J2-2*		Beaconsfield Bypass
1973		J1-2		Gerrards Cross Bypass
1974		J5-8		Pitmore - Chilworth
1989		J15-M42 J3a		Longbridge - Umberslade
1991		J8-15		Waterstock - Longbridge

See Also

Links to more information on the M40.

Exit List

All the junctions and destinations along the route.

NB: The M40 runs from south-east to north-west. For the purposes of this list, the signing is referred to as eastbound (to London) and westbound (to Birmingham).

Junction		Eastbound								Westbound
1		London A40		A40		SOUTH-EAST A40		A4020 A412		N/A
		Slough (A412) Uxbridge (A4020)
		2 miles, 4 lanes								2 miles, 4 lanes
1A		Watford (M1 ) Rickmansworth Heathrow Slough (M4 ) (M11 , M23 ) M25		M25				M25		Watford (M1 ) Rickmansworth Heathrow Slough (M4 ) (M11 , M23 ) M25
		5 miles, 4 lanes								5 miles, 4 lanes
2		Beaconsfield Amersham Slough A355		(A40)				A355		Beaconsfield Amersham Slough A355
		7 miles, 4 lanes								3 miles, 4 lanes
3				(A40)						High Wycombe (E) A40
		3 lanes								4 miles, 3 lanes
4		High Wycombe Marlow Maidenhead A404 (M4 )		A404 A4010				A404		High Wycombe Marlow A404
		8 miles, 3 lanes								8 miles, 3 lanes
5		High Wycombe (W) Stokenchurch A40		(A40)						Stokenchurch A40
		2 miles, 3 lanes								2 miles, 3 lanes
6		Watlington Princes Risborough B4009		B4009				B4009		Thame Watlington Princes Risborough B4009
		7 miles, 3 lanes								6 miles, 3 lanes
7				A329				A329		Thame Wallingford A329
										1 mile, 3 lanes
8								(A40)		Oxford Cheltenham A40
										0 miles, 3 lanes
8A		Thame Aylesbury A418 Oxford A40 Oxford		A418 (A40)				A40		Aylesbury A418 Oxford A40 Oxford
		12 miles, 3 lanes								12 miles, 3 lanes
9		Bicester Aylesbury A41 Oxford Newbury A34		A41				A34		Oxford Newbury A34 Bicester A41
		5 miles, 3 lanes								5 miles, 3 lanes
10		Northampton A43 B430 Cherwell Valley		A43				B430		Northampton A43 B430 Cherwell Valley
		10 miles, 3 lanes								10 miles, 3 lanes
11		Banbury A422 (A361)		A422 A361				A422 (A361)		Banbury A422 (A361)
		10 miles, 3 lanes								10 miles, 3 lanes
12		Gaydon B4451		B4451				B4451		Gaydon B4451
		3 miles, 3 lanes								3 miles, 3 lanes
		Warwick								Warwick
		4 miles, 3 lanes								2 miles, 3 lanes
13				A452				B4100		Leamington Warwick A452
14		Leamington A452		(A452)
		1 miles, 3 lanes								3 miles, 3 lanes
15		Warwick A429 Stratford Coventry A46		A429 A46				A429 A46		Warwick A429 Stratford Coventry A46
		10 miles, 3 lanes
16		Henley A3400		A3400				A3400
		2 miles, 3 lanes								12 miles, 3 lanes
M42 J3A		N/A		M42 (M1) (M6)		NORTH-WEST		M42		The NORTH Birmingham (E, N, C) Solihull NEC & M42 (M1 , M6 )
										The SOUTH WEST Birmingham (S & W) Redditch M42 (M5 )

With thanks to Tom, Peter Harris and CJ for information on this page.