Closure
M61 Northbound Jct 4 to 5 Carriageway Closure
from 21:00
Tonight
🚨 Live M61 Incidents & Roadworks
Auto-refresh 3 minClosure
M61 northbound jct 4 entry slip road road closure
from 20:00 Wed 14 Oct
Wed 14 Oct
Spotted something on the M61?
Warn other drivers in real time — thousands check these pages every day
💥 Crash⚠️ Hazard⛔ Closure🐌 Queue
📹 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 pageJ1Farnworth & Kearsley73 crashes
J2Bolton & Hunger Hill14 crashes
J3Bolton & Horwich13 crashes
J4Bolton & Westhoughton4 crashes
J5Westhoughton & Hindley16 crashes
J6Horwich & Adlington44 crashes
J8Chorley & Whittle-le-Woods31 crashes
J9Bamber Bridge & Clayton-le-Woods63 crashes
🟢 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.
153,012
🚗 vehicles a day · J2–J3
14,149
🚛 lorries a day
2025
📅 DfT count year
share of traffic on the busiest stretch
Busiest stretch of each motorway — vehicles a day
M25
212,636
M6
187,521
M56
179,634
M1
162,446
M8
158,065
M4
156,491
M61
153,012
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% |
Source: Department for Transport road traffic statistics, average annual daily flows 2025. Official counts, updated yearly.
📈 M61 Journey Pulse — when incidents actually happen
Early picture — 34 incidents recorded on the M61 since February 2026. The pattern below firms up as the archive grows.
00
04
08
12
16
20
📈 Busiest 07:00–10:00
😌 Quietest 04:00–07:00
🕒 Typically clears in ~92 min ⏱ Typical delay ~10 min
View as table
| Hour | Incidents | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 00:00–01:00 | 1 | 2.9% |
| 01:00–02:00 | 2 | 5.9% |
| 02:00–03:00 | 3 | 8.8% |
| 03:00–04:00 | 2 | 5.9% |
| 04:00–05:00 | 0 | 0% |
| 05:00–06:00 | 0 | 0% |
| 06:00–07:00 | 1 | 2.9% |
| 07:00–08:00 ◀ peak | 4 | 11.8% |
| 08:00–09:00 ◀ peak | 2 | 5.9% |
| 09:00–10:00 ◀ peak | 2 | 5.9% |
| 10:00–11:00 | 1 | 2.9% |
| 11:00–12:00 | 3 | 8.8% |
| 12:00–13:00 | 4 | 11.8% |
| 13:00–14:00 | 0 | 0% |
| 14:00–15:00 | 1 | 2.9% |
| 15:00–16:00 | 0 | 0% |
| 16:00–17:00 | 1 | 2.9% |
| 17:00–18:00 | 1 | 2.9% |
| 18:00–19:00 | 2 | 5.9% |
| 19:00–20:00 | 1 | 2.9% |
| 20:00–21:00 | 1 | 2.9% |
| 21:00–22:00 | 0 | 0% |
| 22:00–23:00 | 2 | 5.9% |
| 23:00–00:00 | 0 | 0% |
Measured from 34 incidents recorded by this site since February 2026 (planned roadworks excluded). Recomputed nightly from our incident archive.
⚠️ 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.
#1
Severe Blackspot
J6
44 collisions · 81 casualties · 3 fatal · 16 serious
#2
Severe Blackspot
J1
73 collisions · 115 casualties · 2 fatal · 15 serious
#3
Severe Blackspot
J8
31 collisions · 54 casualties · 1 fatal · 4 serious
#4
Severe Blackspot
J9
63 collisions · 138 casualties · 23 serious
#5
Severe Blackspot
J5
16 collisions · 27 casualties · 4 serious
#6
Severe Blackspot
J2
14 collisions · 23 casualties · 1 serious
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❓ M61 Traffic — Frequently Asked Questions
Q: 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.
Q: 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 from National Highways.
Q: 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.
Q: Are there roadworks on the M61 right now?
There are currently 3 active roadwork schemes on the M61. Check the live feed above for exact locations and durations.
Q: What roads connect to the M61?
The M61 connects to: M60, M6, A666, A674.
Q: 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.
Q: 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
0
Active incidents
0
Severe/serious
3
Roadworks
04:01
Last updated
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ℹ️ M61 Road Details
- Length
- 28 miles
- Junctions
- 9
- 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
Manchester
Bolton
Horwich
Chorley
Preston
🔗 Roads Connecting to the M61
🛣️ M61 Services & Motorway Stops
🔗 Related Tools
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