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The A42 is a major trunk road in the East Midlands region of the United Kingdom. It links junction 23A of the M1 motorway to junction 11 of the M42 motorway. The A42 is in effect a continuation of the M42, and its junctions are numbered accordingly.
 | It has been suggested that this article be merged into M42 motorway. (Discuss) Proposed since July 2024. |
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2012) |
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 Click map to enlarge | ||||
 A42(T), looking west from A423 | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by National Highways | ||||
| Length | 15 mi (24 km) | |||
| History | Completed in 1989 | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| Northeast end |  M1 motorway Kegworth 52.8235°N 1.3047°W | |||
  J14 → A453 road   / J13 → A511 road/A512 road | ||||
| Southwest end |   / M42 motorway/A444 road Appleby Magna 52.6854°N 1.5499°W | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United Kingdom | |||
| Constituent country | England | |||
| Counties | Leicestershire | |||
| Primary destinations | East Midlands Airport | |||
| Road network | ||||
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It is built to a similar standard to the M42, being a grade separated dual carriageway. The 6-mile (9.7 km) Measham and Ashby-de-la-Zouch bypass section was opened in August 1989 at a cost of £33m.
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 | This article contains a bulleted list or table of intersections which should be presented in a properly formatted junction table. (December 2021) |
| A42 road junctions | ||
| Northbound exits | Junction | Southbound exits |
| Road merges onto M1 continuing towards Nottingham | M1 J23A Services |
Start of road |
East Midlands  , Nottingham (S), Derby (A6) A453Donington Park services |
No access (on-slip only) | |
| Castle Donington A453 | J14 | No access (on-slip only) |
| Ashby, Coalville, Leicester A511, Loughborough A512 | J13 | Ashby, Burton, Coalville A511 |
| Snarestone B4116, Ashby | J12 | Snarestone, Measham B4116 |
| Start of road | M42 J11 Services |
Nuneaton A444 Non-motorway traffic |
| Burton upon Trent, Measham A444 | Road continues as M42 towards Tamworth | |
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The A42 was built by the UK Government in 1989 to link the northern section of the M42 to the M1. Although it is not designated as motorway, and has no hard shoulder, the road is fully grade separated and runs with two lanes each way, the same as the M42 to the south.
The original planned line of the M42 saw it joining the M1 further to the north, crossing what is now the A50 Derby Southern Bypass and meeting the M1 north of Bardills Island (A52/M1 interchange)[citation needed]
The current road is the second incarnation of the A42. The original (1923) route was Reading to Birmingham via Oxford. The whole road was renumbered in 1935 – the section from Reading to Shillingford became part of the A329, Shillingford to Oxford became part of the A423 and Oxford to Birmingham became part of the A34. In 1993 the A423 was itself renumbered, with the section formerly the A42 becoming part of the A4074 from Reading to Oxford. The modern M42 does interchange with the former A42 at junction 4 near Solihull: Stratford Road now being numbered A34 to the north of the junction and A3400 to the south.
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