M61 Traffic

M61 19:24pm

SLIGHT
SEVERE
FULL SCREENUPDATED: 19:24
×
×

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:

HIGHWAYS MANAGEMENT
Location: The M61 northbound exit slip at junction J5 .
Lane closures: Lane two is closed.
Reason: Road Management.
Status: Currently Active.
Time to clear: The event is expected to clear between 18:15 and 18:30 on 9 Mar 2026.
Return to normal: Normal traffic conditions are expected between 18:15 and 18:30 on 9 Mar 2026.
Lanes closed: There is one of two lanes closed.
Nearest town: 3m from Bolton. CLEARED @ 16:56
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 16:15 and 16:30 on 9 Mar 2026.
Return to normal: Normal traffic conditions are expected between 16:45 and 17:00 on 9 Mar 2026.
Lanes closed: There is one of three lanes closed.
Nearest town: 2.57m from Horwich. CLEARED @ 16:02
CONGESTION
Location: The M61 southbound entry slip at junction J6 .
Reason: Congestion.
Status: Currently Active.
Return to normal: Normal traffic conditions are expected between 16:15 and 16:30 on 9 Mar 2026.
Delay: There are currently delays of 10 minutes against expected traffic.
Nearest town: 1.81m from Horwich. CLEARED @ 16:20
CONGESTION
Location: The M61 southbound at junction J6 .
Reason: Congestion.
Status: Currently Active.
Return to normal: Normal traffic conditions are expected between 16:00 and 16:15 on 9 Mar 2026.
Delay: There are currently delays of 10 minutes against expected traffic.
Nearest town: 1.77m from Horwich. CLEARED @ 16:11
CONGESTION
Location: The M61 slip road to the M60 southbound .
Reason: Congestion.
Status: Currently Active.
Return to normal: Normal traffic conditions are expected between 14:30 and 14:45 on 9 Mar 2026.
Delay: There are currently delays of 10 minutes against expected traffic.
Nearest town: 3m from Eccles. CLEARED @ 14:14


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.

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.

Let's Get Social

Get in touch with us or stay up to date with our latest news and updates.

Follow us on Facebook See Traffic Update on Twitter See our Pinterest Images View our Blog

Live Email Traffic Alerts

Get live email alerts whenever there is a traffic incident or roadworks on the M61 that may cause congestion or jams.

Sign up for free alerts

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.

Advertise on Traffic UpdateYOUR AD HERE

Advertise to millions of motorists, holidaymakers and commuters.

Location: northbound exit slip at junction J5 .

Lane Closures : Lane two is closed.

Due to: Road Management.



Time To Clear : The event is expected to clear between 18:15 and 18:30 on 9 March 2026.

Normal traffic conditions are expected between 18:15 and 18:30 on 9 March 2026.

Lanes Closed : There is one of two lanes closed.
Nearest town: 3m from Bolton.

53.55--2.49

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 16:15 and 16:30 on 9 March 2026.

Normal traffic conditions are expected between 16:45 and 17:00 on 9 March 2026.

Lanes Closed : There is one of three lanes closed.
Nearest town: 2.57m from Horwich.

53.57--2.53

Location: southbound entry slip at junction J6 .

Due to: Congestion.



Normal traffic conditions are expected between 16:15 and 16:30 on 9 March 2026.

Delay : There are currently delays of 10 minutes against expected traffic.
Nearest town: 1.81m from Horwich.

53.57--2.54

Location: southbound at junction J6 .

Due to: Congestion.



Normal traffic conditions are expected between 16:00 and 16:15 on 9 March 2026.

Delay : There are currently delays of 10 minutes against expected traffic.
Nearest town: 1.77m from Horwich.

53.57--2.55

Location: slip road to the M60 southbound .

Due to: Congestion.



Normal traffic conditions are expected between 14:30 and 14:45 on 9 March 2026.

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

53.52--2.36