Simister Island: M60 'anomaly' to be fixed by 'missing link'

The loop will take eastbound drivers to the southbound carriageway without leaving the M60

A £340m scheme to provide the "missing link" to the only motorway in England where drivers leave and rejoin to stay on the same road has been announced.

The "anomaly" at the M60's Junction 18 can leave southbound vehicles heading east on the M62 if they miss the exit, Highways England (HE) said.

The "much-needed" scheme would create a "loop" near Prestwich in Bury, it said.

Transport Secretary Grant Schapps said the work would make the M60 "less confusing and more efficient".

The Simister Island junction links the M60, M62 and M66 and is currently used by about 90,000 vehicles a day, an HE spokesman said.

He said the current set-up, "formed 20 years ago", had made the M60 "the only motorway in England which drivers need to come off to continue their journey on the same motorway".

The proposed work would create a 36-mile ring road around Manchester and "provide quicker and more reliable journeys", chief executive Jim O'Sullivan said.

The project would see the eastbound hard shoulder between junctions 17 and 18 converted into an extra lane and new bridges built.

The current set-up sees drivers have to leave the M60 to rejoin it via a roundabout

Other proposals in the scheme include a new two-lane link road between the northbound and westbound stretches of the M60 at the junction, as well as a new link between the eastbound M60 and the northbound M66.

The hard shoulder could also be converted to a permanent extra lane between Junctions 17 and 18 to "improve the flow of traffic", the spokesman said.

If approved, work could start by 2024 with the planned opening of the new junction in 2026.

Mr Schapps said the "vital improvement... has the potential to cut journey times, improve reliability and boost businesses".

He added that it was "a step forwards in making the M60 easier to use, less confusing and more efficient for drivers".

HE's consultation on the plans remains open until 17 August.