M62 motorway
The M62 is a 107-mile motorway in Northern England that runs west to east from Liverpool to Hull. It links major cities including Liverpool, Manchester, Bradford, Leeds and Wakefield, and about seven miles are shared with the M60 orbital around Manchester. The road is part of Euroroutes E20 and E22.
As it climbs the Pennines, the M62 reaches its high point on Windy Hill near Denshaw at 1,221 feet above sea level, the highest point of any English motorway. It crosses Scammonden Dam and passes Stott Hall Farm, the only farm located between the carriageways. The Pennine section required many viaducts and bridges and includes the famous pedestrian bridge for the Pennine Way.
Construction began in the 1960s and the motorway was opened in stages between 1971 and 1976. A western extension toward Liverpool as originally planned was not completed, so the M62 starts near Tarbock and connects with the M57 and M6 along the way. The Stretford-Eccles bypass opened earlier and is now part of the M60.
Major junctions and links: it connects with the M57 near Prescot, the M6, the M1 and the A1(M) further east, and has four spur routes—the M602 to Manchester, the M606 to Bradford, the M621 to Leeds and the A627(M) to Oldham/Rochdale. The western end lies on Liverpool’s Queens Drive, while the eastern end approaches Hull and then becomes the A63.
Notable events: the M62 has seen significant incidents, including the 1974 coach bombing near Chain Bar and Gildersome, the 2001 Selby rail crash, and the 2018 Beast from the East weather event that trapped thousands of motorists. It is one of Britain’s more congested motorways, especially between Manchester and Leeds, and it carries a lot of freight to the ports around Merseyside and the Humber.
Overall, the M62 is a key east–west link across Northern England, connecting major cities and facilitating regional trade and travel.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 09:11 (CET).