Tourists are paying to visit a ‘misunderstood’ highway interchange — so unusual it’s in the Guinness Book of World Records
Is no place safe?
As cities large and small across Europe battle the adverse effects of outsider-induced overcrowding, the seemingly limitless tentacles of modern tourism have slithered to a surprising new destination — underneath the U.K.’s “most complex” highway interchange.
Visitors to Birmingham, the country’s second largest city and the hometown of Ozzy Osbourne, are being enticed to sign up for guided tours of the unsightly Gravelly Hill Interchange, informally known as Spaghetti Junction, which handles more than 200,000 vehicles per day.
Described by one architecture expert as “a wonderful structure” and referred to as a “misunderstood beast” by tour organizers, the confusing connector, built 52 years ago, is impressive enough to have earned a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records as “the most complex interchange on the British road system.”
The tours, which cost roughly $13, consist of a two-mile walk below the five-level monstrosity, showcasing the surprising amount of things there are to see and do in the shadows — canals, a park, a lake, towpaths, wildlife, street art and even a beach, SWNS reported.
“This walking tour takes you to a startling and unique space few people seek out,” organizers at Explore Birmingham stated, describing the behemoth as one of Birmingham’s “best known landmarks.”
“It’s tangle of roads can strike fear into wary drivers and it often holds a dark place in the psyche of the city, but is this a misunderstood beast?”
“It truly feels like entering another world. Sometimes described as dystopian, the spaces created have provided the backdrop for art exhibitions, dance events and films.
“It may not be conventionally pretty, but this gritty, urban underworld has a unique atmosphere which you have to experience to appreciate,” they promised.
The interchange has 559 concrete columns, some reaching 80 feet high, reinforced by 13,000 tons of steel. It sprawls out over 30 acres.
It’s estimated that to drive along every foot of road making up the interchange would be about a 73 mile journey.
“It’s an unusual space but one with a wealth of history,” Al Hassall, who leads the tours being offered this week only, explained to the BBC.
“Many people have wondered what it is like to go down but people don’t know necessarily how to get down and whether it would be safe once they do,” he said.
“Coming on an organised tour has been great for people to have the chance to see what’s underneath.”
“It’s a wonderful structure. It was designed as an image of the future for the city, architecture expert Dr. Michael Dring added.
“It engages with the landscape and introduces people into the city so it does have its own beauty.”
