From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
List of motorways in the United Kingdom is a complete list of motorways in the United Kingdom. Note that one numbering scheme is used for Great Britain and a separate numbering scheme for Northern Ireland, see Roads in Ireland.
| Sign |
Link |
Route |
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M10 |
A short spur linking St Albans to the M1 near Hemel Hempstead. |
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M11 |
Linking London (Woodford) to Cambridge. |
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M18 |
Linking the M1 at Rotherham to the M62 near Goole. |
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M20 |
Linking the M25 at Swanley to Folkestone. |
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M23 |
Linking Hooley in Surrey (just north of the M25, and south of Coulsdon) to Crawley. |
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M25 |
The London orbital motorway, numbered clockwise from Dartford around London to Thurrock. (The Dartford Crossing between Thurrock and Dartford is not classified as a motorway, being the A282.) |
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M26 |
A short link between the M25 at Sevenoaks and the M20 before Maidstone. |
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M27 |
The south coast route running from Cadnam, west of Southampton, to Portsmouth. |
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M32 |
A spur from the M4 near Winterbourne to central Bristol. |
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M40 |
Linking Uxbridge, west London, to the M42 south of Solihull. |
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M42 |
Part of the Birmingham orbital motorway, from the M5 near Bromsgrove, running around the south and east of Birmingham and continuing north towards Measham. A section near Coleshill has been replaced by the M6 Toll. |
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M45 |
A short spur linking the A45 south west of Rugby to the M1 south east of Rugby and north of Daventry. |
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M48 |
The Severn Bridge, linking the M4 near Thornbury to the M4 near Caldicot over the River Severn. This used to be the M4 before the Second Severn Crossing was built. |
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M49 |
A short link from the M5 to the M4 west of Bristol. |
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M50 |
Linking the M5 north of Tewkesbury to Ross-on-Wye. |
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M53 |
Linking Wallasey and Chester. |
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M54 |
Linking the M6 north of Wolverhampton to Wellington west of Telford. |
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M55 |
Linking the M6 north of Preston to Blackpool. |
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M56 |
Linking Manchester (Gatley) to the A5117 between Ellesmere Port and Chester. |
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M57 |
The Liverpool bypass running north-west from the M62 near Huyton to Switch Island between Maghull and Aintree. |
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M58 |
Linking Switch Island (between Maghull and Aintree, northern Liverpool) to Wigan. |
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M60 |
The Manchester Outer Ring Road, an orbital motorway, numbered clockwise from Stockport. |
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M61 |
Linking Bamber Bridge near Preston to Manchester (Worsley). |
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M62 |
The trans-Pennine link - connecting Liverpool to the A63 between North Cave and Newport, west of Kingston upon Hull. There is a gap in the motorway between Winton and Simister where the road has been reclassified to become the northern part of the M60 Manchester orbital motorway. |
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M65 |
Linking Bamber Bridge near Preston to Colne. |
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M66 |
Linking Ramsbottom to the M60 at Whitefield, north Manchester. |
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M67 |
Linking the M60 at Denton, east Manchester, to Hattersley, east of Hyde. |
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M69 |
Linking Coventry to Leicester. |
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M96 |
Not open to the public, but part of the Fire Service College at Moreton-in-Marsh. Sometimes erroneously referred to as the M91. |
| Sign |
Link |
Route |
 |
A1(M) |
The parts of the A1 between London and Gateshead that have been upgraded to motorway. There are six sections of the A1 that have been upgraded:
|
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A3(M) |
Linking Horndean to Havant. |
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A38(M) |
A spur from the M6 at the Gravelly Hill Interchange (Spaghetti Junction) to central Birmingham, also known as the Aston Expressway. It has no central reservation — the number of lanes open in each direction varies according to prevailing traffic conditions. |
 |
A57(M) |
Known as the Mancunian Way, forms the southern part of Manchester's inner ring road, running from a junction on Deansgate to the A635 near Piccadilly Station. It is elevated and runs through the centre of the campus of UMIST, now part of the University of Manchester. |
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A58(M) |
The western part of the Leeds inner ring road, running from Wellington Road (A58) to join the A64(M) at the junction with Claypit Lane (also A58). |
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A64(M) |
The eastern part of the Leeds inner ring road, running from the A58(M) at the junction with Claypit Lane (A58), to York Road (A64). |
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A66(M) |
A spur from the A1(M) near Cleasby joining the A66 heading into Darlington. |
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A167(M) |
An urban motorway in central Newcastle upon Tyne running from just north of the Tyne Bridge to just north of Newcastle University. |
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A194(M) |
Linking the A1(M) at Birtley (near Gateshead) to A194 near Wardley, leading to the Tyne Tunnel. |
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A308(M) |
Linking the M4 junction 8/9 to the A308 near Bray. |
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A329(M) |
Linking Bracknell to Winnersh near Reading, crossing the M4. |
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A404(M) |
Linking the M4 junction 8/9 to the A4 at Maidenhead Thicket. |
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A601(M) |
A spur from the M6 at Carnforth to the A6 near Warton. The southern part is single carriageway. |
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A627(M) |
Linking Rochdale and Chadderton near Oldham, crossing the M62. |
Roads which used to be motorways but have been downgraded:
| Sign |
Link |
Route |
 |
M15 |
The designation for the Ringway 2 upgrade of the A406 (North Circular Road) and A205 (South Circular Road). Only the section between junction 4 of the M11 and Redbridge Roundabout was built to motorway standard, and was initially signed as M11 because the section built, at the time only led onto the M11. When the route was extended to Beckton, the section of M11 was redesignated as the A406. |
 |
M41 |
The London West Cross Route, a spur from the London Westway (A40(M)) and the only part of the western section of the London Motorway Box to be built, now A3220.[1] |
 |
A18(M) |
A spur from M18. Mostly now part of M180, although a section has been abandoned. |
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A40(M) |
The London Westway, now the A40.[1] |
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A41(M) |
The Tring bypass, now the A41[2]. |
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A46(M) |
A spur towards Leicester from M1 at junction 21, now part of the A563[3]. |
 |
A102(M) |
The London East Cross Route, in two sections:
|
 |
A329(M) |
The northern third of the A329(M) from Winnersh to Reading, now the A3290. Downgraded to permit Reading council to dedicate one lane for buses. |
 |
A6144(M) |
Formerly the longest single-carriageway motorway spur in the United Kingdom from the M60 north of Sale towards Carrington. Now just a spur of the A6144. |
| Sign |
Link |
Route |
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M16 |
Originally to be the northern section of the M25 but was renumbered prior to opening. |
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M63 |
Merged with parts of the M62 and M66 to form the new M60 Manchester orbital motorway. |
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M85 |
Now M90 J10-11. Previously the M90 carried on along the spur into Perth, leaving the main route ahead as the M85[4] |
|
M531 |
Now the southern section of the M53[5]. |
|
A20(M) |
Now the M20 from J5-8.[6] |
|
A423(M) |
Originally A4(M)[7] and then part of the M4. Now the A404(M)[8]. |
|
A6127(M) |
Now the A167(M)[9] |
There have been many plans for motorways in the UK that have not been built, for one reason or the other. A lack of money or political will, environmental reasons, traffic reasons and public opposition being the main ones. Below is a not exhaustive list of plans that didn't get built:
- M12 in 3 forms [10]:
- M13, from East London to Maplin Sands airport passing south of Southend[11].
- M17 Castle Donington bypass, a short spur off the M1;
- M31, a bypass of the busiest section of the M25, cutting the corner for traffic from the West[12].
- M59, M58 junction 2 to south of Preston[13].
- M64, between the M6 south of Stoke-on-Trent and the M1 near Derby.
- M272 Portswood Link Motorway, which would have met the M27 at J5 and headed into Southampton.
- M601, which would have entered Manchester from the M62 (now the M60) near Pendlebury[14].
- M650, Airedale Motorway from near Silsden to Shipley[15].
- A6(M) (or M66 extension), which would have formed an eastern bypass for Stockport[16]. As of March 2006, this is still under the planning stage as part of the SEMMMS (south east Manchester multi modal study) project (though not as motorway).
- A556(M), which would have cut the corner between the M6 and M56 near Warrington[17].
- Chippenham Spur, off the M4[18]
- Strensham - Solihull/Coventry motorway, a link between the M50 and M42 or M69[19]
- Kirkhamgate - Pudsey motorway - a link from the M1 to either/both the M650 or/and Pudsey-Dishforth motorway
- Pudsey - Dishforth motorway - a route West of Leeds for the M1 to bypass Leeds and reach the A1.
- Spur off M5 at j20 towards Bristol
- Spur off M5 at j21 towards Weston
- East Coast Motorway from M11 j9 to Sunderland via Boston and the Humber Bridge.
- M11 (Northern Ireland), from the M1 going through Lisburn and then crossing the M1 again and ending at Newry[20]
- M23 (Northern Ireland), from the M2 to (London)Derry[21]
Many cities had urban motorway plans, most of which weren't built. London[22], Newcastle[23], Liverpool[24], Leeds, Manchester/SELNEC, Southampton, Portsmouth, Coventry, Glasgow[25] and Belfast[26][27] all had extensive plans.