M61 motorway

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M61 Motorway

Road of the United Kingdom
Length 20 miles (32.2 km)
Direction Northwest - Southeast
Start Worsley
Primary destinations Manchester
Leigh
Bolton
End Bamber Bridge
Construction dates 1969 - 1970
Motorways joined 1 -
M60 motorway
9 -
M65 motorway

M6 motorway

The M61 motorway is a major road in England. It runs from the M60 motorway north west of Manchester, and heads north west past Bolton and Chorley to end at the junction of the M6 and M65 motorways just south of Preston.

Contents


[edit] 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 myriad slip roads and overpass tunnels providing free-flowing access to and from the motorway to the A580 (East Lancashire road), the motorway spur road to and from the A666, access to both anti-clockwise and clockwise carriageways of the M60 and full access for traffic wishing to travel both northbound and southbound on the M61. This complicated junction earns it a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as having the most traffic lanes side by side (17), spread across several parallel carriageways [1]

[edit] Media

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

[edit] Junctions

M61 Motorway
Northbound exits Junction Southbound exits
The NORTH, Lancaster M6 M6 J30 Start of Motorway
Blackburn, Burnley, Preston (South) M65 J9 Blackburn, Burnley, Preston (South) M65
Chorley, Whittle-le-Woods A674 (A6) J8 Chorley, Whittle-le-Woods A674 (A6)
Bolton West Services
Horwich (A673)
Chorley (A6)		 J6 Bolton (West), Horwich (A673)
Westhoughton. Hindley, Wigan A58 J5 Westhoughton. Hindley, Wigan A58
Atherton, Walkden, Farnworth (A6) J4 Atherton, Walkden, Farnworth (A6)
No exit J3 Bolton (A666)
Bolton (A666) J2 Manchester (Central) (A580)
Start of motorway J1 Oldham, Rochdale, Leeds
Salford, Sale, Manchester Airport M60

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ British Roads Database www.cbrd.co.uk URL accessed February 18, 2008
    •"The number's up for Britain's roads", Telegraph.co.uk, Telegraph Media Group Limited, October 2002. Retrieved on 2008-02-18. "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." 
    •Matthews, Peter (ed) (1992). The Guinness Book of Records 1993. Enfield: Guinness World Records Limited, p121. ISBN 0-85112-978-1. 


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