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M61 motorway

Coordinates: 53°37′37″N 2°35′10″W / 53.6270°N 2.5862°W / 53.6270; -2.5862
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M61 shield
M61
Route information
Length20.0 mi (32.2 km)
Existed1969–present
HistoryConstructed 1969–1970
Major junctions
South endWorsley
Major intersections
J1 → M60 motorway

J9 → M65 motorway

M6 motorway
North endPreston
Location
CountryUnited Kingdom
Primary
destinations		Manchester, Bolton, Wigan
Road network

The M61 motorway is a motorway in North West England. It runs from the M60 motorway northwest of Manchester and heads northwest past Bolton and Chorley to join the M6 just north of the junction between the M6 and M65 motorways to the south of Preston.

Worsley Braided Interchange

Perhaps the most distinguishing section of the M61 is to be found at the southern end at the Worsley Braided Interchange between junctions 1 and 3. This stretch of the road on the approach to the terminus with the M60 ring road is a collection of sliproads and overpass tunnels providing free-flowing access to and from the following:

  • the A580 (East Lancashire Road)
  • the motorway spur road to and from the A666
  • both the clockwise and the anti-clockwise carriageways of the M60 (originally M62)
  • both the northbound and the southbound carriageways of the M61.
The M61 at night looking towards Chorley

This complicated junction earns a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the most traffic lanes side by side (17), spread across several parallel carriageways at Linnyshaw.[1][2][3] The Google Maps location of this incidence is [1]

On its opening on 17 December 1970, it was already known locally as "Spaghetti Junction",[4][5] 17 months before the opening of Gravelly Hill Interchange in Birmingham, nowadays most associated with that name in Britain.

Media

The M61 has one service station: Rivington services (formerly 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.

Junctions

Data[6] from driver location signs are used to provide distance information.

M61 motorway
mile km Northbound exits Junction Southbound exits
The North, Lancaster M6 M6, J30 Start of motorway
20.6 33.2 Blackburn, Burnley, Preston (South) M65 J9 Blackburn, Burnley, Preston (South) M65
17.1 27.6 Chorley, Whittle-le-Woods A674 (A6) J8 Chorley, Whittle-le-Woods A674 (A6)
Rivington services Services Rivington services
9.6 15.4 Horwich (A673)
Chorley (A6) 		J6 Bolton (West),
Horwich (A673)
7.0 11.2 Wigan, Bolton, Westhoughton A58 J5 Bolton, Westhoughton A58
5.1 8.2 Atherton, Leigh A6 J4 Walkden A6
2.8 4.5 No access J3 Bolton (A666)
Bolton (A666) J2 Manchester (Central) (A580)
Start of motorway J1 Oldham, Rochdale M60 (East)
Leeds (M62)
Salford, Sale M60 (South)
Manchester Airport (M56)

See also

References

  1. ^ British Roads Database www.cbrd.co.uk URL accessed 18 February 2008
  2. ^ "The number's up for Britain's roads". Telegraph.co.uk. 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 M61 and M60 meet.
  3. ^ Matthews, Peter (ed) (1992). The Guinness Book of Records 1993. Enfield: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 121. ISBN 0-85112-978-1. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  4. ^ Chartres, John (18 December 1970). "'Spaghetti Junction' opens, without warning signs". The Times. London. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  5. ^ Johnson, W.M. (2000), "A627(M) Rochdale–Oldham Motorway", Lancashire County Council website accessed 28 June 2011
  6. ^ Driver Location Signs, Highway Agency Area 10 (map) - Highway Authority, 2009

53°37′37″N 2°35′10″W / 53.6270°N 2.5862°W / 53.6270; -2.5862


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