M60 motorway facts for kids

Quick facts for kids M60 motorway
Manchester Outer Ring Road
Looking south at Cutler Hill near Failsworth
Route information
Part of E20 and E22
Maintained by Highways England
Length	36 mi (58 km) 7 miles (11 km) are concurrent with the M62 motorway
Existed	1998–present
History	Opened: 1960 (as M62), 1971 (Middleton Link), 1974 (as M63) Renumbered: 1998 Completed: 2000
Major junctions
Orbital around Manchester
	J4 → M56 motorway / J12 → M62 motorway/M602 motorway J15 → M61 motorway / J18 → M62 motorway/M66 motorway J24 → M67 motorway
Location
Counties:	Greater Manchester
Primary destinations:	Manchester, Stockport, Trafford Park, Ashton-under-Lyne, Oldham
Road network
Roads in the United Kingdom Motorways A and B road zones ← M58 M61 →

The M60, also known as the Manchester Ring Motorway or the Manchester Outer Ring Road, is a special type of road called a motorway. It's like a giant circle that goes all the way around Manchester, England, and some other towns nearby.

The M60 is about 36 miles (58 kilometers) long. It was officially created in the year 2000. Before that, parts of it were sections of older motorways like the M62, M66, and all of the M63. This motorway helps cars and trucks travel around Manchester without going through the busy city centre.

Getting On and Off the M60: Junctions

Motorways have special exits and entrances called junctions. These are numbered to help drivers know where to get on or off the road. The M60 has many junctions that connect it to other major roads and towns around Manchester.

Here's a simplified look at the M60's junctions:

M60 Motorway Junctions
Junction Number	Exits (Anti-clockwise)	Exits (Clockwise)
J1	Stockport (West & Centre) A5145	Stockport (West) A5145
J2	Cheadle A560	No access (on-ramp only)
J3	Cheadle, Wilmslow A34	Cheadle, Wilmslow A34
J4	No access (on-ramp only)	Chester, Warrington, Manchester Airport, Birmingham M56
J5	Chester, Manchester Airport, Birmingham A5103	Manchester (City Centre), Didsbury A5103
J6	Sale A6144	Sale A6144
J7	Manchester (City Centre), Stretford, Altrincham A56	Altrincham, Manchester (City Centre), Stretford A56
J8	End of variable speed limit Carrington A6144	Carrington A6144 Start of variable speed limit
J9	Trafford Park, Trafford Centre A5081	Urmston B5158, Trafford Park A5081
J10	Trafford Park, Urmston B5214	Trafford Park B5214
J11	Eccles, Irlam A57	Irlam, Eccles A57
J12	Manchester (City Centre), Salford M602 Liverpool M62	Liverpool, Warrington M62 Manchester (City Centre), Salford M602
J13	Swinton A572, Worsley A575	Worsley, Leigh A575, Swinton A572
J14	St. Helens, Leigh A580	No access (on-ramp only)
J15	Preston, Wigan, Bolton M61	Preston, Wigan, Bolton M61
J16	Salford, Kearsley A666	No access (on-ramp only)
J17	Manchester City Centre, Prestwich, Whitefield A56	Whitefield, Prestwich A56
J18	Start of variable speed limit	Burnley, Bury M66 Leeds, Huddersfield M62
J19	Middleton A576	Manchester City Centre, Middleton A576
J20	No access (on-ramp only)	Middleton, Blackley A664
J21	Rochdale, (A627(M)), Chadderton (A663)	Manchester City Centre, Chadderton (A663)
J22	Manchester City Centre, Oldham A62	Oldham A62
J23	Ashton-under-Lyne A6140	Ashton-under-Lyne A635
J24	Manchester City Centre, Denton A57, Hyde, Sheffield (M67)	Denton A57, Hyde, Sheffield (M67) Manchester City Centre A57
J25	Bredbury A560	Bredbury A560
J26	No access	Stockport (East & Centre) A560
J27	Stockport (East) A560	No access (on-ramp only)
J28	Motorway continues to J1

Images for kids

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  This map shows how the M60 goes around the main part of Greater Manchester, which is shown in red.

• 

  The M60 motorway goes right under the famous Stockport Viaduct, a very old and long railway bridge.