Manchester North West Quadrant

Investigating the case for a wide range of improvements on the North West quadrant of the M60 between junctions 8 and 18.

Start date TBC

End date TBC

Cost TBC

Latest updates

26 July 2023

Manchester North West Quadrant project 

We're currently looking at how to ease congestion and make journey times more reliable between junctions 8 to 18 of the M60.  

Drivers that use the route, regularly experience low average speeds resulting in delays. There is also a high rate of collisions and the route does not cope well with severe weather or large events taking place in the area. 

We’ve been working closely with Transport for the North, Transport for Greater Manchester and the Department for Transport, to consider the options for improvements. Our work will help the government to decide on whether to fund the proposed improvements in the future. 

Caption: The M60 regularly suffers from congestion.

Next steps  

Part of our role is to develop a portfolio of schemes for consideration and delivery in future roads investment periods beyond 2025. The MNWQ study is part of that portfolio and next steps will be agreed by government as they finalise the next Road Investment Strategy, expected to be published in 2024.

Future engagement 

We are keen to gather as much feedback as possible before making a recommendation to the Department for Transport. Should the project progress, we will provide the local community and the wider public with an opportunity to have their say on potential options for the scheme in the future. 

If you would like further information on the scheme, you can contact us as follows:

Email: info@nationalhighways.co.uk

Phone: 0300 123 5000 
10 August 2020

The Manchester North West Quadrant study

The Manchester North West Quadrant (MNWQ) is a Strategic Road Network project which is looking at ways to ease congestion and make journey times more reliable between junctions 8 to 18 of the M60.

The project began as a strategic study in 2014, as part of the government’s first Roads Investment Strategy (RIS) and looked at providing large scale ‘transformational’ options.

Our assessments so far have shown that these transformational options would have significant adverse impacts on local communities and overall would not provide value for money.

The project will continue to identify packages of smaller schemes that can be developed through RIS2 (2020-2025). These may include some of the smaller improvements identified to date such as remodelling the M60 junctions at 12,13 & 14, linking the M62 to the A57 and capacity improvements between 9 and 10.

We will also consider other locations for improvements that will provide benefits on the M60 between Junctions 8 to 18 but a bypass between junctions 12 and 18 of the M60 will not be considered further.

Working closely with Transport for the North and Transport for Great Manchester, our study has so far supported the importance of the Simister Island Interchange in mitigating some impacts and there is now a committed scheme in this location.

We have spoken with councils, key stakeholders, local business and groups to help assess local considerations and ensure we have built an accurate understanding of all benefits and constraints and we will continue to speak to them throughout the extended stage.

Using the information we have already gathered, we are looking at ways to reduce congestion and future proof the road by considering the benefits and potential impacts on motorists, the environment, our neighbours and the economy. We’ll then identify a shortlist of options we believe will tackle the issues, before consulting with the public.

The project is still in the very early stages and at this point there is no commitment from the Department of Transport to continue or to build if the options we identify don’t solve the current problems or offer value for money.

If you have any specific questions or would like further information on the scheme, you can contact us as follows:

Email: MNWQ@highwaysengland.co.uk
Phone: 0300 470 2216

See more updates

Project information

The M60 plays an important role in keeping traffic moving. We recognise the importance of the north west section of the motorway, enabling the development of the economy in the region and the Government’s aspirations associated with the “Northern Powerhouse”.

The MNWQ project will facilitate this by reducing congestion around the north-western side of Greater Manchester, adding capacity and improving journey times to help separate local traffic from long-distance traffic, enhancing connectivity, supporting economic growth and, improving the overall experience for road users.

The timescales for the Manchester North West Quadrant have been extended to look at the packages of smaller improvements that can be developed as part of RIS 2.