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Originally the M18 was a spur from the M1 for traffic heading on to the A1. It was eventually extended to meet the M62, and during the construction work on there and the M180, the short-lived A18(M) came into being as an access road for the unfinished motorways.

Fast and quiet, the M18 is one of South Yorkshire Police's favourite motorways for hiding in police lay-bys. It's also surprisingly well-endowed with lanes and motorway connections for such a short and remote route: it is, after all, a shortcut to East Yorkshire from the south and isn't too heavily used.

As mentioned above, the M18 used to have a short spur towards Scunthorpe called the A18(M). The slightly strange construction of the motorways around Brigg - made up of a series of very short sections built one after the next - meant that for a few years in the 1970s the whole area was in a constant state of transition. It was very nearly a temporary road, and whether it was meant to last any length of time before being consumed by the M180 isn't known. It was only ever applied to the link between the M18 and the A18, and is now underneath the eastbound exit from the M180.

Factfile

Start	Rotherham (M1)
Finish	Goole (M62)
Passes	Doncaster
Length	26 miles
Terminates	M180
Spurs	None
Meets	A1(M)

There are no photos in this section yet.

Construction Timeline

When the various parts of the M18 were built, listed in chronological order.

Open	Jct	Section
1967	J0-2	Thurcroft → Wadworth
1972	J5*-6	Hatfield → Thorne
1975	J6-7	Thorne → East Cowick
1977	J4-5*	Armthorpe → Hatfield
1979	J2-4	Wadworth → Armthorpe

Exit List

All the junctions and destinations along the route.

Junction		Northbound								Southbound
7		Hull Goole M62 Leeds Manchester M62 (A1(M) , M1 )		M62 (M1) (A1(M))		NORTH		M62
		5 miles, 3 lanes								5 miles, 3 lanes
6		Thorne Selby A614 (A1041)		A614 (A1081)				A614		Hatfield Thorne A614
		2 miles, 3 lanes								2 miles, 3 lanes
5 283 km		Scunthorpe Grimsby Humberside M180 Doncaster North						M180		Scunthorpe Grimsby Humberside M180 Doncaster North
		4 miles, 2 lanes								4 miles, 2 lanes
4		Hatfield Thorne A630 (A18)		A630 (A18)						Doncaster A630 (A18)
		6 miles, 2 lanes								6 miles, 2 lanes
3		Doncaster A6182		A6182						Doncaster A6182
		2 miles, 2 lanes								2 miles, 2 lanes
2		The NORTH The SOUTH Doncaster A1(M)		A1(M)				A1(M)		The NORTH The SOUTH Retford A1(M)
		8 miles, 3 lanes								8 miles, 3 lanes
1		Rotherham Maltby A631		A631				A631		Rotherham Maltby A631
		3 miles, 3 lanes								3 miles, 3 lanes
(M1 J32)		N/A		M1		SOUTH		M1		The SOUTH Nottingham M1 Sheffield Rotherham M1

With thanks to Chris C2R for information in this section.