🚨 Live M61 Incidents & Roadworks
Updates every 5 min🌙 M61 closures tonight and the next 3 days 9
From National Highways' closure report, in their words. Times can change - check before you set off.
- Full closureNorthbound M61 Northbound Jct 6 to 8 carriageway closureTonight · 22:00–06:00
- Partial closureNorthbound M61 Northbound Jct 8 exit slip road closureTonight · 22:00–06:00
- Partial closureNorthbound M61 Northbound Jct 6 entry slip road closureTonight · 22:00–06:00
- Partial closureNorthbound M61 Northbound Rivington Services exit and entry slip road closuresTonight · 22:00–06:00
- Partial closureSouthbound M61 Southbound to M65 Eastbound link road closureTonight · 23:59–05:00
- Partial closureSouthbound M61 Southbound Jct 9 exit slip road closureTonight · 23:59–05:00
Show all 9 closures
- Partial closureNorthbound M61 Northbound Jct 5 exit slip road closureTomorrow night · 21:00–06:00
- Partial closureNorthbound M61 Northbound Jct 5 entry slip road closureTomorrow night · 21:00–06:00
- Partial closureSouthbound M61 southbound to M60 anticlockwise link road closureTomorrow night · 21:00–06:00
📹 Latest M61 videos
🗺️ M61 Traffic Map — Where It's Happening
Tap a pin for full incident detail. Live positions from National Highways.
🔢 M61 Junction Status
Tap a junction for its page🟢 Clear · 🟡 Delays nearby · 🔴 Severe/Crash · Status labels: 💥 CRASH · ❌ CLOSED · 🐌 SLOW · 🚧 WORKS · ⚠️ HAZARD
A red or orange junction border marks a STATS19 collision blackspot. Tap any junction for its own page — live incidents and full collision history. Tap the funnel to filter the list above.
📊 How busy is the M61?
The M61 carries up to 153,012 vehicles a day at its busiest stretch (J2–J3), including 14,149 HGVs — the 7th busiest motorway in Britain. Official Department for Transport counts, 2025.
View as table
| Road | Busiest stretch | Vehicles/day | HGVs/day | HGV share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M25 | near J14 | 212,636 | 14,853 | 7% |
| M6 | J20–J21 | 187,521 | 23,492 | 12.5% |
| M56 | J3–J4 | 179,634 | 7,547 | 4.2% |
| M1 | near J9 | 162,446 | 19,151 | 11.8% |
| M8 | J16–J17 | 158,065 | 7,214 | 4.6% |
| M4 | near J4 | 156,491 | 6,249 | 4% |
| M61 ◀ | J2–J3 | 153,012 | 14,149 | 9.2% |
📈 M61 Journey Pulse — when incidents actually happen
Early picture — 39 incidents recorded on the M61 since February 2026. The pattern below firms up as the archive grows.
View as table
| Hour | Incidents | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 00:00–01:00 | 1 | 2.6% |
| 01:00–02:00 | 2 | 5.1% |
| 02:00–03:00 | 3 | 7.7% |
| 03:00–04:00 | 2 | 5.1% |
| 04:00–05:00 | 0 | 0% |
| 05:00–06:00 | 2 | 5.1% |
| 06:00–07:00 | 1 | 2.6% |
| 07:00–08:00 ◀ peak | 4 | 10.3% |
| 08:00–09:00 ◀ peak | 2 | 5.1% |
| 09:00–10:00 ◀ peak | 3 | 7.7% |
| 10:00–11:00 | 1 | 2.6% |
| 11:00–12:00 | 3 | 7.7% |
| 12:00–13:00 | 4 | 10.3% |
| 13:00–14:00 | 0 | 0% |
| 14:00–15:00 | 1 | 2.6% |
| 15:00–16:00 | 0 | 0% |
| 16:00–17:00 | 2 | 5.1% |
| 17:00–18:00 | 1 | 2.6% |
| 18:00–19:00 | 2 | 5.1% |
| 19:00–20:00 | 1 | 2.6% |
| 20:00–21:00 | 2 | 5.1% |
| 21:00–22:00 | 0 | 0% |
| 22:00–23:00 | 2 | 5.1% |
| 23:00–00:00 | 0 | 0% |
⚠️ Most Dangerous M61 Junctions
Based on DfT STATS19 police collision records. The M61 has 258 recorded collisions at 8 collision hotspots, involving 462 casualties (6 fatal). Take extra care here. Ranked by fatal, then serious collisions, then casualties - not by the number of collisions alone.
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❓ M61 Traffic — Frequently Asked Questions
Is the M61 closed today?
Any M61 closure appears in the live feed above within minutes of National Highways reporting it, including tonight's overnight roadworks closures.
Is there traffic on the M61 today?
The live feed above shows every incident, delay, roadwork and overnight closure on the M61, updated every 5 minutes, 24 hours a day, from National Highways.
What is the worst time to use the M61?
The M61 is typically busiest during morning rush hour (07:00–09:00) and evening rush hour (17:00–19:00) on weekdays.
Are there roadworks on the M61 right now?
Roadworks and overnight closures on the M61 are listed above and at /traffic/m61/roadworks/, taken from the National Highways daily closure report.
What roads connect to the M61?
The M61 connects to: M60, M6, A666, A674.
Is there an accident on the M61 northbound or southbound today?
Each side has its own live page: the M61 northbound and the M61 southbound each list every accident, breakdown, closure and roadworks on that carriageway, updated every 5 minutes, 24 hours a day, from National Highways. The panel at the top of this page shows both sides at a glance.
How many vehicles use the M61 every day?
Official Department for Transport counts (2025) record 153,012 vehicles a day on the M61's busiest stretch (J2–J3), 14,149 of them HGVs. The full breakdown and comparison chart are in the traffic statistics section above.
How busy is the M61 compared with other motorways?
The M61 has the 7th busiest motorway stretch in Britain at 153,012 vehicles a day (DfT 2025), behind the M25's 212,636 a day at the top.
📊 M61 Status Summary
ℹ️ M61 Road Details
- Length
- 28 miles
- Junctions
- J1–J9
- From
- Manchester (M60 J15)
- To
- Preston (M6 J29)
- Type
- Motorway
- AM Rush
- 07:00–09:00
- PM Rush
- 17:00–19:00
📍 Key M61 Locations
🔗 Roads Connecting to the M61
🛣️ M61 Services & Motorway Stops
🔗 Related Tools
📱 Follow M61 Updates
Daily M61 incidents, posted across all four channels.
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