M61 shield
M61
M61 highlighted in blue

Shown in North West England

Shown with the UK motorway network

Junctions of the M61
Route information
Maintained by National Highways
Length22.4 mi (36.0 km)
Existed1969–present
HistoryConstructed 1969–1970
Major junctions
Southeast end A580 – Manchester
Major intersections

A666(M)  – Wardley

Northwest end M6 – Preston
Location
CountryUnited Kingdom
Primary
destinations
Road network
← M60→ M62

The M61 is a motorway in North West England between Manchester and Preston, linking the M60 Manchester orbital motorway with the M6 motorway.

It runs from the A580 near Wardley and heads northwest past Bolton, Horwich and Chorley to join the M6 near Bamber Bridge, just north of the junction between the M6 and M65. It runs parallel to the A6, to its northeast, for the entirety of its length, essentially bypassing the towns and villages the A6 runs through between Manchester and Preston.

History

The Horwich to Worsley section began on Wednesday 1 January 1969, costing £12.4 million, to open by the end of December 1970, built by the Alfred McAlpine and Leonard Fairclough & Son consortium.[1]

Services

The M61 has one service station: Rivington services (formerly Anderton Services and Bolton West services), located between junctions 6 and 8 (as junction 7 was never built). This motorway service area was used in the filming of The Services, a pilot episode for the Farnworth-born comedian Peter Kay series That Peter Kay Thing, a spoof documentary of a day in the life of the services staff.

Originally built as part of the Kenning Motor Group, it later became part of the Rank Group portfolio, before passing on to Pavilion (Granada) and First Motorway Services. This services originally had two restaurants (one each side) and full facilities. However, due to the relatively short length of the M61 and wealth of alternative nearby facilities, it suffered from low traffic and footfall. This resulted in a lack of investment, and the site passed from hand to hand. It was also, at various times, operated on one side only, access from the opposite carriageway being via the over-bridge, or closed down completely. In 2009, it was acquired by the Blackburn based Euro Garages Group. Instead of simply refurbishing the existing infrastructure, a completely new facility was built on each of the old car-parks. All the original buildings were then demolished.

At various periods, since the building of the M61, the lack of a junction 7 has been used by local politicians as a campaign feature. This has once again come to the fore in 2022, as a proposal to relieve major congestion between junction 6 and Horwich. The two proposals are; to either build junction 7 where the M61 passes over the Bolton to Chorley road at Anderton, or to incorporate junction 7 into the Rivington Services site. Short term, neither are likely to happen.

Worsley Braided Interchange

The complex of inter-connected junctions
  2   Junction number
  1   Former junction number
  A666 and A6053
  M61 slips to Kearsley Interchange
  M61 to Preston
   A666(M) Kearsley Spur
  A666(M) to M60
  M61 to A580 east
  M60 outer ring road
  M60 slip roads to A580 west
  A580 East Lancs Road

At the southeastern end at junction 2, the Worsley Braided Interchange, a stretch of the road on Linnyshaw Moss, earns a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the most traffic lanes side by side (17), spread across eight almost-parallel carriageways, in a "basketweave interchange" design. However it isn't clear how many of the lanes belong to the A666(M).[2][3][4][5] The carriageways cross each other at shallow angles and make use of tunnel-like structures to spread the load, avoiding the need for skew bridges.

Spurs of the M61 radiate from junction 2 to four surrounding junctions, effectively creating one large interchange, consisting of the following junctions:[6]

  • The Kearsley Interchange links the A666 and A6053 to M61 junctions 2 and 3.[lower-alpha 1]
  • M61 junction 3 links the M61 southeastbound to the Kearsley Interchange.
  • M61 junction 2 (Worsley Braided Interchange) links to all of the other junctions.
  • M60 junction 15 (Swinton Interchange[7]) links the M60 to M61 junction 2 by using a short stretch of the A666(M).[lower-alpha 2]
  • M60 junction 14 (Wardley Interchange) links the A580 East (East Lancashire Road) to M61 junction 2, and separately links the A580 West to the M60 East at junction 15.[lower-alpha 3]

The name "Worsley Braided Interchange" may also be used to describe the entire complex of five junctions. On its opening on 17 December 1970, the complex was already known locally as "Spaghetti Junction",[8][9] 17 months before the opening of Gravelly Hill Interchange in Birmingham, nowadays most associated with that name in Britain, but the name did not persist.

Lancaster Canal

The construction of the motorway between junctions 8 and 9 caused part of Lancaster Canal to be closed. Before closure, the canal had a southern section that had always been isolated from the main northern section, but historically linked to it by a horse-drawn tramway, the Lancaster Canal Tramroad. The new motorway crossed the route of the canal at three points. The Ministry of Transport and British Waterways Board decided that the cost of constructing three bridges was not justified, particularly as the canal was in poor condition, and promoted a bill in Parliament for closure of this section of the canal.[10] The southernmost part of this section remains and is now classified as a spur of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

Junctions

County Location mi[11] km Junction Name Destinations Notes
Greater ManchesterWardley0.00.0—
[coord 1]		Wardley Interchange
M60 Junction 14		 A580 east (East Lancs Road) – Manchester City Centre, SalfordAccess only to A580 eastbound and from A580 westbound. Spur goes directly to Junction 2; no access to or from Swinton Interchange (M60).
(Formerly M62 Junction 14A.)
—
[coord 2]		Swinton Interchange[7]
M60 Junction 15		 M60 (Manchester Outer Ring) – Oldham, Rochdale, Leeds, Salford, Sale, Manchester AirportSpur terminates here: no access to or from Wardley Interchange (A580).
(Formerly M61 Junction 1 and M62 Junction 14.)
2.03.22
[coord 3]		Worsley Braided Interchange
  • To / from northwest:
  • M61 (Kearsley Spur) to A666 – Bolton (via Kearsley Interchange)
  • To / from southeast:
  • M61 (spur to M60 only) – Swinton Interchange
  • M61 (spur to A580 only) – Wardley Interchange
  • No access from Kearsley Spur to M61 northwestbound, or from M61 southeastbound to Kearsley Spur
  • No access from M60 spur to A580 spur, or from A580 spur to M60 spur
  • Formerly signposted as Junction 3 for northwestbound traffic only
  • The Kearsley Spur is part of the M61
2.74.33
[coord 4]		(To Kearsley Interchange) To A666 / A6053 – Kearsley, FarnworthExit only from M61 southeastbound to A666 / A6053 roundabout (Kearsley Interchange); no entrance.
—5.08.04
[coord 5]		Watergate Lane Interchange[12] A6 – Walkden, Atherton, Leigh
6.911.15
[coord 6]		Hunger Hill Interchange[12] A58 – Bolton, Westhoughton, Wigan
9.515.36
[coord 7]		Horwich Link Interchange A6027 – Horwich, Bolton (North), Chorley
Lancashire11.618.7Rivington services[coord 8]   (formerly Bolton West or Anderton)
Chorley17.027.48
[coord 9]		Chorley North Link Junction A674 – Chorley, Leyland, Southport
Walton Summit20.533.09
[coord 10]		Clayton Brook Interchange[13]
M65 Junction 2		 M65 – Blackburn, Burnley, Preston (South)
Bamber Bridge22.335.9—
[coord 11]		Blacow Bridge[14]
M6 Junction 30		 M6 north – The Lake District, Preston, Lancaster, BlackpoolNo exit to M6 southbound or entrance from M6 northbound
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
Entrance to a tunnel-like structure that carries the M60-to-M61 spur under one carriageway of the M61-to-A580 spur, approaching Junction 2 from the southeast
Part of the Swinton Interchange, showing carriageways of the M61-to-M60 spur crossing the M60 (left) and the A580-to-M60 link road (centre)

Mileages are calculated using the A580 spur, the longer of the two spurs at the Manchester end.

Coordinate list
  1. ↑ Wardley Interchange (A580): 53°30′45″N 2°21′58″W / 53.5124°N 2.3661°W
  2. ↑ Swinton Interchange (M60): 53°31′27″N 2°21′39″W / 53.5241°N 2.3608°W
  3. ↑ Junction 2: 53°31′54″N 2°22′52″W / 53.5317°N 2.3810°W
  4. ↑ Junction 3: 53°32′15″N 2°23′38″W / 53.5374°N 2.3940°W
  5. ↑ Junction 4: 53°32′41″N 2°26′58″W / 53.5448°N 2.4495°W
  6. ↑ Junction 5: 53°33′20″N 2°29′24″W / 53.5556°N 2.4899°W
  7. ↑ Junction 6: 53°34′28″N 2°32′44″W / 53.5744°N 2.5455°W
  8. ↑ Rivington Services: 53°36′01″N 2°34′26″W / 53.6002°N 2.5739°W
  9. ↑ Junction 8: 53°40′13″N 2°37′30″W / 53.6703°N 2.6249°W
  10. ↑ Junction 9: 53°43′06″N 2°37′47″W / 53.7183°N 2.6298°W
  11. ↑ M6 Junction 30: 53°44′09″N 2°38′55″W / 53.7359°N 2.6487°W

Notes

  1. ↑ Confusingly, the A666 southbound approach to this junction has signs identifying it as "junction 2", which appears to incompatible with the other M61 junction numbers. Other approaches display no number. The "Kearsley Spur" from this junction to M61 junction 2 is the A666(M).
  2. ↑ M60 junction 15 was once also known as M61 junction 1, and as of 2022 some Ordnance Survey maps still display this, but all road signs depicting "1" have been removed as the actual junction 1 is on the A580. Some sources name the junction to be part of Worsley Braided Interchange. Before the M60 was created, it was M62 junction 14.
  3. ↑ "Junction 14" refers only to the M60 link road. The M61 mainline has no junction number, although some sources have claimed it was junction 1. Before the M60 was created, it was M62 junction 14A.

References

  1. ↑ Leicester Daily Mercury Tuesday 31 December 1968, page 12
  2. ↑ British Roads Database www.cbrd.co.uk URL accessed 18 February 2008
  3. ↑ "The number's up for Britain's roads". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group Limited. October 2002. Retrieved 18 February 2008. The west side of Manchester is notoriously busy and holds the record for the widest section of motorway – an impressive 17 lanes where the A666(M) (for the M61) and M60 meet.
  4. ↑ Matthews, Peter, ed. (1992). The Guinness Book of Records 1993. Enfield: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 121. ISBN 0-85112-978-1.
  5. ↑ Google (26 September 2022). "Worsley Braided Interchange" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  6. ↑ "Landranger map" (Map). Map of M61 Junction 2. Ordnance Survey. n.d. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  7. 1 2 Blakey, Ashlie (15 September 2021). "LIVE: Queues on M60 near Trafford Park after accident - latest updates". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  8. ↑ Chartres, John (18 December 1970). "'Spaghetti Junction' opens, without warning signs". The Times. London. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  9. ↑ Johnson, W.M. (2000), "A627(M) Rochdale–Oldham Motorway" Archived 29 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine, Lancashire County Council website, accessed 28 June 2011
  10. ↑ Yeadon, H.L. (2005). The Motorway Achievement: Building the Network: The North West of England. Chichester: Phillimore & Co. ISBN 978-1-86077-352-5.
  11. ↑ Mileage sources:
    • Google (28 September 2022). "Mileage to J2" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
    • Google (28 September 2022). "Mileage to J3" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
    • Google (28 September 2022). "Mileage to J4" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
    • Google (28 September 2022). "Mileage to J5" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
    • Google (28 September 2022). "Mileage to J6" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
    • Google (28 September 2022). "Mileage to services" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
    • Google (28 September 2022). "Mileage to J8" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
    • Google (28 September 2022). "Mileage to J9" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
    • Google (28 September 2022). "Total mileage" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  12. 1 2 Chaudhari, Saiqa (5 March 2020). "Motorists being warned M61 junction six to five northbound shut due to police incident". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  13. ↑ Moffitt, Dominic. "The most dangerous roundabout in the county has been revealed". LancsLive. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  14. ↑ "Welcome to the cone zone". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
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