M61 Traffic

M61 10:54am

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Traffic incidents

The following traffic incidents and congestion for M61 have been reported by Highways England, Traffic Scotland, Traffic Wales or Transport for London (TfL) in the last two hours:

VEHICLE RECOVERY
Location: The M61 southbound between junctions J6and J5 .
Lane closures: The hard shoulder and lane 1 are closed.
Reason: Vehicle tyre change.
Status: Currently Active.
Time to clear: The event is expected to clear between 09:00 and 09:15 on 15 Dec 2025.
Return to normal: Normal traffic conditions are expected between 09:00 and 09:15 on 15 Dec 2025.
Lanes closed: There is one of three lanes closed.
Nearest town: 2.23m from Horwich. CLEARED @ 08:41
CONGESTION
Location: The M61 slip road to the M60 southbound .
Reason: Congestion.
Status: Currently Active.
Return to normal: Normal traffic conditions are expected between 10:30 and 10:45 on 15 Dec 2025.
Delay: There are currently delays of 10 minutes against expected traffic.
Nearest town: 3m from Eccles.
CONGESTION
Location: The M61 northbound exit slip at junction J3 .
Reason: Congestion.
Status: Currently Active.
Return to normal: Normal traffic conditions are expected between 10:30 and 10:45 on 15 Dec 2025.
Nearest town: 3.43m from Bolton.
CONGESTION
Location: The M61 southbound between junctions J3and J2 .
Reason: Congestion.
Status: Currently Active.
Return to normal: Normal traffic conditions are expected between 10:00 and 10:15 on 15 Dec 2025.
Delay: There are currently delays of 10 minutes against expected traffic.
Nearest town: 3.77m from Bolton. CLEARED @ 10:02
CONGESTION
Location: The M61 southbound between junctions J4and J3 .
Reason: Congestion.
Status: Currently Active.
Return to normal: Normal traffic conditions are expected between 09:15 and 09:30 on 15 Dec 2025.
Delay: There are currently delays of 10 minutes against expected traffic.
Nearest town: 2.98m from Bolton. CLEARED @ 09:17
CONGESTION
Location: The M61 northbound at junction J9 .
Reason: Congestion.
Status: Currently Active.
Return to normal: Normal traffic conditions are expected between 08:45 and 09:00 on 15 Dec 2025.
Delay: There are currently delays of 10 minutes against expected traffic.
Nearest town: 3.4m from Samlesbury. CLEARED @ 08:50
CONGESTION
Location: The M61 northbound at junction J9 .
Reason: Congestion.
Status: Currently Active.
Return to normal: Normal traffic conditions are expected between 08:15 and 08:30 on 15 Dec 2025.
Delay: There are currently delays of 10 minutes against expected traffic.
Nearest town: 3.4m from Samlesbury. CLEARED @ 08:23
CONGESTION
Location: The M61 southbound between junctions A666and J2 from A666 to M60.
Reason: Congestion.
Status: Currently Active.
Return to normal: Normal traffic conditions are expected between 08:45 and 09:00 on 15 Dec 2025.
Delay: There are currently delays of 10 minutes against expected traffic.
Nearest town: 3m from Eccles. CLEARED @ 08:50
CONGESTION
Location: The M61 southbound between junctions J4and J3 .
Reason: Congestion.
Status: Currently Active.
Return to normal: Normal traffic conditions are expected between 08:00 and 08:15 on 15 Dec 2025.
Delay: There are currently delays of 10 minutes against expected traffic.
Nearest town: 2.98m from Bolton. CLEARED @ 07:56
CONGESTION
Location: The M61 southbound between junctions J4and J3 .
Reason: Congestion.
Status: Currently Active.
Return to normal: Normal traffic conditions are expected between 07:00 and 07:15 on 15 Dec 2025.
Delay: There are currently delays of 10 minutes against expected traffic.
Nearest town: 2.98m from Bolton. CLEARED @ 07:11


There are no current incidents in this location.

M61 Roadworks

The following roadworks have been reported by various highways agencies and official transport sources.Click on a roadworks item to view more details on the traffic map.

ROAD WORKS
Location: The M61 northbound at junction J8 .
Reason: Emergency roadworks are planned.
Status: Pending.
Schedule: From 09:00 on 17 Dec 2025 to 18:00 on 17 Dec 2025.
Nearest town: 5.64m from Horwich.

M61

The M61 motorway is a 35.9 mile (58.1 km) long motorway running from the M60 in Greater Manchester, North West England to the M65 near Preston, in Lancashire. The motorway was constructed between 1970 and 1972 and was the first of the three motorways to be built around Manchester.

Over its length, the M61 traverses a variety of terrain, ranging from urban areas such as Bolton and Bury, to wide open spaces seen on the Darwen moors.

In terms of road safety, the M61 motorway scores above the national average for England and Wales, with an average collision rate of 1.37 per 100,000 vehicle km. The accident rate for the motorway is slightly above average for motorways in the UK, with an accident rate of 34 per 100,000 vehicle km. However, compared to the national average, the M61 has a much lower fatality rate, with a fatality rate of only 0.91 per 100,000 vehicle km, significantly below the national average of 3.2 fatalities per 100,000 vehicle km.

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LEGAL NOTICE

Please remember that it is against the law to use your mobile phone, tablet or any electronic device without a hands-free kit whilst driving.If you're caught by the police using any device that can send or receive data whilst driving or riding a motorcyle you'll get an automatic fixed penalty notice, 6 points on your licence and a fine of £200.A court could also disqualify you from driving.

Elsewhere on the web:

National Highways TrafficNational Highways England

Official source of traffic updates.

Transport for LondonTransport for London (TFL)

Transport for London's (TfL) portal for transportation in London.

Traffic WalesTraffic Wales

The Welsh government's traffic information service for Wales.

Traffic ScotlandTraffic Scotland

Live traffic conditions and news for Scotland's road network.

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Location: southbound between junctions J6and J5 .

Lane Closures : The hard shoulder and lane 1 are closed.

Due to: Vehicle tyre change.



Time To Clear : The event is expected to clear between 09:00 and 09:15 on 15 December 2025.

Normal traffic conditions are expected between 09:00 and 09:15 on 15 December 2025.

Lanes Closed : There is one of three lanes closed.
Nearest town: 2.23m from Horwich.

53.57--2.53

Location: slip road to the M60 southbound .

Due to: Congestion.



Normal traffic conditions are expected between 10:30 and 10:45 on 15 December 2025.

Delay : There are currently delays of 10 minutes against expected traffic.
Nearest town: 3m from Eccles.

53.52--2.36

Location: northbound exit slip at junction J3 .

Due to: Congestion.



Normal traffic conditions are expected between 10:30 and 10:45 on 15 December 2025.
Nearest town: 3.43m from Bolton.

53.54--2.39

Location: southbound between junctions J3and J2 .

Due to: Congestion.



Normal traffic conditions are expected between 10:00 and 10:15 on 15 December 2025.

Delay : There are currently delays of 10 minutes against expected traffic.
Nearest town: 3.77m from Bolton.

53.54--2.39

Location: southbound between junctions J4and J3 .

Due to: Congestion.



Normal traffic conditions are expected between 09:15 and 09:30 on 15 December 2025.

Delay : There are currently delays of 10 minutes against expected traffic.
Nearest town: 2.98m from Bolton.

53.54--2.42

Location: northbound at junction J9 .

Due to: Congestion.



Normal traffic conditions are expected between 08:45 and 09:00 on 15 December 2025.

Delay : There are currently delays of 10 minutes against expected traffic.
Nearest town: 3.4m from Samlesbury.

53.72--2.63

Location: northbound at junction J9 .

Due to: Congestion.



Normal traffic conditions are expected between 08:15 and 08:30 on 15 December 2025.

Delay : There are currently delays of 10 minutes against expected traffic.
Nearest town: 3.4m from Samlesbury.

53.72--2.63

Location: southbound between junctions A666and J2 from A666 to M60.

Due to: Congestion.



Normal traffic conditions are expected between 08:45 and 09:00 on 15 December 2025.

Delay : There are currently delays of 10 minutes against expected traffic.
Nearest town: 3m from Eccles.

53.52--2.36

Location: southbound between junctions J4and J3 .

Due to: Congestion.



Normal traffic conditions are expected between 08:00 and 08:15 on 15 December 2025.

Delay : There are currently delays of 10 minutes against expected traffic.
Nearest town: 2.98m from Bolton.

53.54--2.42

Location: southbound between junctions J4and J3 .

Due to: Congestion.



Normal traffic conditions are expected between 07:00 and 07:15 on 15 December 2025.

Delay : There are currently delays of 10 minutes against expected traffic.
Nearest town: 2.98m from Bolton.

53.54--2.42

Location: northbound at junction J8 .

Due to: Emergency roadworks are planned.

Status : Pending.

Schedule : From 09:00 on 17 December 2025 to 18:00 on 17 December 2025.
Nearest town: 5.64m from Horwich.

53.67--2.62