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Factfile Images Timeline Exit List
The M61 is there to connect Manchester to Scotland and the north-west by zooming up to the M6 - without it the M6/M62 junction would be very messy and the A6 at Chorley would be something of a headache.
Its southern terminus and starting point, the Worsley Braided Interchange on the M60, is a contender for the most overdesigned junction in the country: it's a bit Heath Robinson to say the least. It even takes up the first three junction numbers on the M61.
After leaving the Worsley Braided Interchange, the M61 seems to have used up all its excitement quota and becomes exceptionally boring. The landscape is hilly and quite industrial in a very tedious way, and the road itself looks very old and worn out. At Preston, the northern terminus is something of a disappointment after the excitement of Worsley.
The missing junction 7 was is something of a mystery. Considering there are no less than two places on the motorway's route that space was left for an extended M58 to connect in, the missing junction is too far north, and was probably intended for an improved access to Chorley and Leyland. Further south you can see a very wide underpass and flared carriageways at the southern arm of the A58's interchange.
Factfile
| Start | Manchester (M60) |
|---|---|
| Finish | Preston (M6) |
| Passes | Bolton |
| Length | 21 miles |
| Terminates | None |
| Spurs | None |
| Meets | M65 |
Images
Views of the M61 from on and off the road. If you have a photo to contribute, contact me.
An example of the various overpasses at Worsley Braided Interchange (here, the sliproad south towards the A580) that cross the motorway at oblique angles. Today we would simply build a long bridge with offset piers to fit the carriageway below, but in the late 60s the answer was a lengthy fake tunnel (or gallery). Most of the space on top of this structure is empty.
Photo by Steven Jukes
Construction Timeline
When the various parts of the M61 were built, listed in chronological order.
| Open | Jct | Section | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov | 1969 | J4-M6 | Horwich → Preston |
| Dec | 1970 | J0-4 | Worsley → Horwich |
Exit List
All the junctions and destinations along the route.
| Junction | Northbound | Southbound | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (M6 J30) | The NORTH Lancaster M6  |
M6 | NORTH |
M6 | N/A |  |
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     |
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1 mile, 2 lanes  |
 1 mile, 2 lanes |
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| 9 | Blackburn Burnley Preston (S) M65 |
(A6) M65 |
 |
M65 | Blackburn Burnley Preston (S) M65 |
|
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 |
  |
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| 4 miles, 3 lanes |
4 miles, 3 lanes |
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| 8 | Chorley Whittle-le-Woods A674 (A6) |
A674 (A6) |
  |
A674 | Chorley A674 (A6) |
|
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 |
 |
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| 6 miles, 3 lanes |
6 miles, 3 lanes |
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 Bolton West |
  |
Bolton West |
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| 2 miles, 3 lanes |
2 miles, 3 lanes |
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| 6 | Horwich (A673) Chorley (A6) |
(A6) |   |
(A673) | Bolton (W) Horwich (A673) |
|
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|
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| 3 miles, 3 lanes |
3 miles, 3 lanes |
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| 5 | Westhoughton Hindley Wigan A58 |
A58 |  |
A58 | Westhoughton Hindley Deane A58 |
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| 2 miles, 3 lanes |
2 miles, 3 lanes |
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| 4 | Atherton Walkden Farnworth (A6) |
(A6) |   |
Atherton Walkden Farnworth (A6) |
|
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| 4 miles, 3 lanes |
3 miles, 3 lanes |
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| 3 |  |
(A666) | Bolton (A666) |
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| 1 mile, 3 lanes |
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| 2 | Bolton (A666) |
(A580) |
 |
Manchester (Cen) Salford (A580) |
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   |
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| 1 mile, 4 lanes |
1 mile, 4 lanes |
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| 1 | N/A | M60 (M56) |
 SOUTH |
M60 (M62) |
Ring Road (N) Oldham, Rochdale M60 Leeds (M62 )Ring Road (W) Salford, Sale M60 Mc'r  (M56 ) |
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With thanks to Steven Jukes and Chris McKenna for information in this section.
