Work on a major M60 motorway upgrade at the notorious Simister Island junction has started.
Five lanes of traffic and a new link road will be created at Junction 18 in a bid to ease congestion, following official confirmation by the Department for Transport (DfT) last year.
Simister Island interchange, which connects the M60, M62 and M66 motorways, has long been earmarked for a massive change under National Highways proposals.
The scheme – estimated to cost between £255m and £296m – aims to reduce congestion, improve journey times and create a safer route through what is one of the North West’s busiest motorway junctions.
Now safety measures have been installed at Simister Island as part of the upgrade, which is expected to take until 2030 to complete. A new temporary safety barrier, average speed cameras and replacement road markings have all been installed around the junction following two overnight closures this week.
The National Highways website said: “These measures are essential to ensuring the safety of our workforce and customers, and are aimed at also minimising disruption on the motorway during busier periods.
“From the week commencing Monday, June 1, 2026, there will be some additional noise in the area during these works as we do this vital safety work. The equipment we use means some disturbance is unavoidable, but we’ll make every effort to minimise any noise generated by the activities.
“We apologise in advance for any disruption these works will cause and thank you for your patience as we carry out this work.”
The project itself will see a ‘northern loop’ built to stop thousands of vehicles using the current traffic light controlled roundabout every day. A five-lane section on both sides of the M60 between Prestwich and Simister (junctions 17 and 18) has been touted as well.
The M66 on the Bury side of the junction would also be widened with new lanes introduced at the interchange and a second lane added from the M60 northbound link.
The project is also anticipated to be a welcome boost for the Atom Valley project in the Rochdale and Bury area. The new junction would help unlock the new development zone – which is expected to generate more than 20,000 high-quality jobs and bring a £1bn economic boost to Rochdale and Bury.
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