Better than a corkscrew and other Birmingham memories of Spaghetti Junction

It’s one of Birmingham’s most iconic landmark - and with 220,000 vehicles using Spaghetti Junction every day it remains the busiest road interchange in Europe. This May marks 50 years since it opened, and even Heinz are honouring the occasion with 500 cans of limited edition pasta.

But what do the people of Birmingham make of the junction, officially know as the Gravelly Hill Interchange. There’s only one way to find out! BirminghamWorld took to the city streets to meet Jake, Katie, Sarah and more. You can see their comments in the video at the top of our story, and read a selection below. Get in touch and let us know what you think too!

Jake says: “So my memories of Spaghetti Junction is mostly as a kid, being amazed that it just looks like concrete, more than like a road system. Then as I got older, I remember just being able to drive myself - and constantly taking the wrong exit, ending up in the wrong place and having to try to navigate a whole different route back through it to get to where I wanted to be.

“As far as Heinz making their own brand to go along with it, I’m probably not going to buy it because it’ll remind me of how annoying it is to drive around it more than anything else!”

Katie says: “Well, I think I’ve been on Spaghetti Sunction a couple of times, and I’ve got lost, well, my friend got lost. And we’re thinking - where the hell are we going? Which way are we going? Well, it’s kind of fun going around there, to be honest, it’s kind of like a little day out stuck on Spaghetti Junction! But I just can’t believe how old it is, to be honest.”

Sarah says: “It’s like a great roller coaster ride if you’re approaching it from the north, twisting and turning and that, it’s better than a corkscrew. I’ve got memories of going up there on my bike and exploring the canals underneath.

“I actually wake up and see it every morning. Not because I live in Erdington. But because I’ve got a piece of work, a poster of Spaghetti Junction on my bedroom wall!”

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