M18 motorwayThe M62 motorway connects the cities of Liverpool and Hull, in England. Along the way, it passes the cities of Salford, Manchester, Warrington, Bradford, Leeds and Wakefield, and crosses the Pennine hills.

The motorway is the most important east-west road in northern England. Great efforts are made to keep the road clear of snow in winter months, when other cross-Pennine routes are often shut. The Pennine stretch of motorway is the highest in the UK; there is a marker at the highest point.

History

The building of the M62 between Rochdale and Huddersfield, crossing the Pennines, is considered to have been one of the most daring road construction projects to have taken place in England due to the nature of the terrain.

On the 4 February 1974, 12 people were killed and many more injured in the M62 coach bombing, when the IRA exploded a 25lb bomb on board an army coach travelling on the road between Bradford and Leeds during the night.

The section of the M62 around Manchester, between junctions 12 and 18, has been renumbered as the M60 Manchester Outer Ring Road road. Another section of the orbital road, the Stretford-Eccles Bypass, formerly a section of the M63, was originally built as a section of the M62. At the M62/M60 interchange, a road leads into Salford, called the M602.

In 2003, work commenced on the A1, upgrading it to motorway status between Doncaster, and Newcastle. The new A1(M) junction opened to traffic on 13 January 2006, intersecting the M62 halfway between J32 (Pontefract) and J33 (Ferrybridge).

In 2007, the UK's first carsharing lane on a motorway is to be built from the M606 allowing passengers with more than one person in the car a fast track onto the M62 Eastbound at Junction 26, near Bradford.'First car-share lane to be built', BBC, 20 March 2006

Wild Farm

At the highest point of the motorway, the road divides into two to negotiate the hilly terrain, and a farm, built in 1737, is situated in between the two halves.Photographs of the farm, Sabre

The inhabitants, Ken and Beth Wild, have lived and worked there since 1971.'Life in the Fast Lane', BBC, 24th May 2002 The road forks around the farm for engineering reasons; a myth persists that it is because they refused to be moved out of the way during its construction.

Musical mentions

The M62 is mentioned in the music track "The Snake" from the 2001 album "Secrets" by The Human League as a possible alternative route between Manchester and Sheffield from the Snake Pass, the main subject of the song. The song lyrics contain the line: "62 or 628 will do if you cannot be late, sometimes the only choice to make in wintertime." "628" in this context refers to the A628, another possible alternative route suggested by the songwriters.

"It's Grim Up North" by The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu consisted of a list of towns and cities on the M62 in the "grim North", with the slogan "The North will rise again" appearing in the song's video.

The 2002 album The Last Broadcast by UK recording artists Doves includes a track entitled M62 Song.

List of Junctions

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M62 Motorway|- align="center" bgcolor="000000" style="color: white"

Westbound exits

Junction

Eastbound exits

A5080: Huyton, Knotty Ash

A5080: Huyton

A5300: Liverpool
A5080:Huyton
M57: Southport

M57: Prescot
A5300: Runcorn

A57: Prescot
A570: St Helens
A557: Widnes

Warrington (West), Burtonwood

J8
Burtonwood Services

Warrington (West), Burtonwood

A49: Warrington (Central), Newton

M6: Birmingham, Preston, Chester

J10

M6: Preston, Birmingham, Manchester Airport

A574: Warrington (East), Birchwood

J11

A574: Warrington (East), Birchwood

M60 becomes M62

J12

M60: Ring Road, Bolton, Bury, Leeds
M602: Salford, Manchester

Motorway is M60 from Junctions 12 to 18

M60: Ring Road
M66: Bury, Blackburn

J18

M60 becomes M62

Birch Services

A6046: Heywood, Middleton

J19

A6046: Middleton, Heywood

A627(M): Rochdale, Oldham

J20

A627(M): Rochdale, Oldham, Ashton

A640: Milnrow, Shaw

J21

A640: Milnrow, Shaw

A672: Saddleworth

J22

A672: Ripponden, Sowerby Bridge

No Access

J23

A640: Huddersfield

A629: Huddersfield, Halifax

J24

A629: Huddersfield, Halifax

A644: Brighouse, Halifax

J25

A644: Brighouse, Dewsbury

Hartshead Services

M606: Bradford
A58: Halifax

J26

M606: Bradford
A638: Cleckheaton

M621: Leeds
A62: Bradford

J27

M621: Leeds
A62: Batley
A650: Morley

A653: Leeds, Dewsbury, Leeds/Bradford Airport

J28

A653: Leeds, Dewsbury

M1: London, Leeds, Wakefield

J29

M1: London, Wakefield, The NORTH

A642: Rothwell, Wakefield

J30

A642: Rothwell, Wakefield

A655: Normanton, Castleford

J31

A655: Normanton, Castleford

A639: Pontefract, Castleford

J32

A639: Pontefract, Castleford

A1(M): The NORTH, Wetherby

J32a

A1(M): The NORTH, Wetherby
The SOUTH, Doncaster

A162: The SOUTH, Doncaster (A1)
Pontefract, Ferrybridge

J33

A162: Knottingley, Ferrybridge

A19: Selby, Doncaster

J34

A19: Selby, Doncaster

M18: The SOUTH, Doncaster

J35

M18: The SOUTH, Doncaster

A614: Goole

J36

A614: Goole

A614: Howden

J37

A614: Howden, Bridlington

Start of Motorway

J38

B1230: North Cave, Gilberdyke

External links

* CBRD Motorway Database - M62

References

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M62 motorway: Encyclopedia BETA