The curve around the south-eastern side of Solihull opened in September 1985 followed by the section from the M6 motorway with the A5 at Tamworth in December 1985. The southern section of the motorway to Alvechurch just north of Redditch to form a junction with the A441 and from A5 at Tamworth with the A444 at Measham opened in 1986.
National Highways said that the data shows that smart motorways are the safest roads in the country ... The first smart motorway was trialled on the M42 in 2006, with the opening of the hard shoulder to traffic at times of peak congestion.
