M67 motorway
Encyclopedia
The M67 is a 5 miles urban motorway in Greater Manchester
, England
which heads east from the M60 motorway
passing through Denton
and Hyde
before ending near Mottram
. It had originally conceived as the first part of a trans-Pennine motorway between Manchester
and Sheffield
connecting the A57(M) motorway
to the M1 motorway
. Plans for a £180m improvement to the route by bypassing Mottram
and Tintwistle
, the A57/A628 Mottram in Longdendale, Hollingworth and Tintwistle Bypass
, and the 'Glossop spur' linking to the A57 road
are currently at the public inquiry stage but, as of January 2008, are 'suspended indefinitely'.
, passing through Denton
and Hyde
before ending near Mottram
. From the end of the motorway traffic can either follow the A628 road
or the A57 road
further east to the M1 motorway
and Sheffield
.
Before the motorway reaches its eastern terminal at Hattersley
/Mottram roundabout (where traffic continues along the A57 into Longdendale
), there are the stub 'ski ramps' where the motorway would have continued eastwards, as there are at the western end.
.
and avoid the Snake
and Woodhead passes, which are often closed in snowy weather.
The full proposed route was to start from Manchester City Centre at what was the A57(M) motorway
eastern terminal roundabout (now a flyover for the A635, constructed in 1995), following the line of the A57 Hyde Road through the inner suburbs of Ardwick
, Gorton
and Debdale Park. Large-scale demolition took place along the line of the motorway (which is still evident today), tied in with the widening of the Belle Vue and Reddish Lane junctions.
From there the intended route follows the present-day M67, skirting Hyde and Denton. Upon reaching Mottram, the route passed the village to the north (through a tunnel), then crossed Mottram Moor to skirt Hollingworth
through the Etherow
valley floor. The motorway would then have run around the side of Bottoms Reservoir
to reach Hadfield
, from which the trackbed of the Woodhead railway line (the former intercity route between Manchester and Sheffield, now closed) was to have been followed up the Longdendale
valley to Woodhead
. At Woodhead, the route would have diverged, with one carriageway entering the Woodhead Rail Tunnel
(now disused) and the other rising on a sweeping viaduct to go over a realigned Woodhead Pass.
Beyond the Pennine watershed, the motorway would have continued on a new alignment past the villages of Langsett and Midhopestones, before meeting the route of the current Stocksbridge bypass.
The Stocksbridge bypass would have been constructed on its present alignment and continued directly onto the M1 at junction 35a. This junction was built specifically as a junction with the M67 (and signposted thus).
Another part of the originally planned "M67" exists in South Yorkshire
, as the A616
Stocksbridge bypass which opened in 1989. As there was no certainty that the whole M67 scheme would be completed by this time, the then Government decided that the scheme would not be built with motorway characteristics, but as a single carriageway with crawler lanes.
route past Mottram
, Hollingworth
and Tintwistle
is currently at planning inquiry stage. It would be to be built as an at-grade. The public inquiry has been adjourned four times and as of January 2008 is 'adjourned indefinitely pending the publication of revised evidence by the Highways Agency and Tameside MBC'
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
which heads east from the M60 motorway
M60 motorway
The M60 motorway, or Manchester Orbital, is an orbital motorway circling Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. It passes through all Greater Manchester's metropolitan boroughs except for Wigan and Bolton...
passing through Denton
Denton, Greater Manchester
Denton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, in Greater Manchester, England. It is five miles to the east of Manchester city centre, and has a population of 26,866....
and Hyde
Hyde, Greater Manchester
Hyde is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2001 census, the town had a population of 31,253. Historically part of Cheshire, it is northeast of Stockport, west of Glossop and east of Manchester....
before ending near Mottram
Mottram
Mottram may refer to:* People:** Craig Mottram, an Australian distance runner** Don Mottram, an English flavour chemist** Ralph Hale Mottram, an English writer** Richard Mottram, a senior UK civil servant** Eric Mottram, an English poet...
. It had originally conceived as the first part of a trans-Pennine motorway between Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
connecting the A57(M) motorway
A57(M) motorway
The Mancunian Way, officially the A57, is a two mile long motorway in Manchester, England. It is part of the A57, which runs east-west through Greater Manchester and links the M602 and M67 motorways.-Route:...
to the M1 motorway
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
. Plans for a £180m improvement to the route by bypassing Mottram
Mottram
Mottram may refer to:* People:** Craig Mottram, an Australian distance runner** Don Mottram, an English flavour chemist** Ralph Hale Mottram, an English writer** Richard Mottram, a senior UK civil servant** Eric Mottram, an English poet...
and Tintwistle
Tintwistle
Tintwistle is a village and civil parish in the High Peak district of the non-metropolitan county of Derbyshire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,401. The village is just north of Glossop at the lower end of Longdendale Valley...
, the A57/A628 Mottram in Longdendale, Hollingworth and Tintwistle Bypass
Longdendale Bypass
The Longdendale Bypass was a controversial road scheme in England by the Highways Agency. The aim was to alleviate traffic congestion on the A57 road/A628 road/A616 road routes that presently pass through the villages...
, and the 'Glossop spur' linking to the A57 road
A57 road
The A57 is a major road in England. It runs east from Liverpool to Lincoln, via Warrington, Cadishead, Irlam, Patricroft, Eccles, Salford and Manchester, then through the Pennines over the Snake Pass , around the Ladybower Reservoir, through Sheffield and past Worksop...
are currently at the public inquiry stage but, as of January 2008, are 'suspended indefinitely'.
Route
The M67 heads east from the M60 motorwayM60 motorway
The M60 motorway, or Manchester Orbital, is an orbital motorway circling Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. It passes through all Greater Manchester's metropolitan boroughs except for Wigan and Bolton...
, passing through Denton
Denton, Greater Manchester
Denton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, in Greater Manchester, England. It is five miles to the east of Manchester city centre, and has a population of 26,866....
and Hyde
Hyde, Greater Manchester
Hyde is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2001 census, the town had a population of 31,253. Historically part of Cheshire, it is northeast of Stockport, west of Glossop and east of Manchester....
before ending near Mottram
Mottram
Mottram may refer to:* People:** Craig Mottram, an Australian distance runner** Don Mottram, an English flavour chemist** Ralph Hale Mottram, an English writer** Richard Mottram, a senior UK civil servant** Eric Mottram, an English poet...
. From the end of the motorway traffic can either follow the A628 road
A628 road
The A628 is a major road in the north of England connecting Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire by crossing the Pennine chain of hills by way of the Woodhead Pass through the Peak District National Park. The height and the exposure of the road often creates problems during poor weather in winter...
or the A57 road
A57 road
The A57 is a major road in England. It runs east from Liverpool to Lincoln, via Warrington, Cadishead, Irlam, Patricroft, Eccles, Salford and Manchester, then through the Pennines over the Snake Pass , around the Ladybower Reservoir, through Sheffield and past Worksop...
further east to the M1 motorway
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
and Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
.
Before the motorway reaches its eastern terminal at Hattersley
Hattersley
Hattersley is a residential area within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, in Greater Manchester, England. It is to the east of Hyde and 6 miles west of the Peak District National Park....
/Mottram roundabout (where traffic continues along the A57 into Longdendale
Longdendale
Longdendale is a valley in the north of England, north of Glossop and south east of Holmfirth. The name means "long wooded valley".- Geography :...
), there are the stub 'ski ramps' where the motorway would have continued eastwards, as there are at the western end.
History
In 1965 the Ministry of Transport asked Sir William Halcrow & Partners to report on a route selected by the County Surveyor of Cheshire and this led, in stages, to the development of the design to partial urban and partial rural motorway standards. There was a public inquiry in 1967 The first section to be opened was the 'M67 Hyde bypass' which was constructed between 1975 and 1978 M67 Denton relief road to the west was constructed between 1978 and 1981. These schemes are connected by a viaduct over the River Tame and Peak Forest CanalPeak Forest Canal
The Peak Forest Canal, is a narrow locked artificial waterway in northern England. It is long and forms part of the connected English/Welsh inland waterway network.-General description:...
.
M67 Manchester to Sheffield Motorway
In 1967, at the time of the first public inquiry there were discussions regarding an extension of the motorway across the Peak District National Park It was to provide a second motorway link across the Pennines to the south of the planned M62M62 motorway
The M62 motorway is a west–east trans-Pennine motorway in Northern England, connecting the cities of Liverpool and Hull via Manchester and Leeds. The road also forms part of the unsigned Euroroutes E20 and E22...
and avoid the Snake
Snake Pass
The Snake Pass is the name given to the remote, higher reaches of the A57 road where it crosses the Peak District between Manchester and Sheffield in the north of England...
and Woodhead passes, which are often closed in snowy weather.
The full proposed route was to start from Manchester City Centre at what was the A57(M) motorway
A57(M) motorway
The Mancunian Way, officially the A57, is a two mile long motorway in Manchester, England. It is part of the A57, which runs east-west through Greater Manchester and links the M602 and M67 motorways.-Route:...
eastern terminal roundabout (now a flyover for the A635, constructed in 1995), following the line of the A57 Hyde Road through the inner suburbs of Ardwick
Ardwick
Ardwick is a district of the City of Manchester, in North West England, about one mile east of Manchester City Centre.By the mid-19th century Ardwick had grown from being a village into a pleasant and wealthy suburb of Manchester, but by the end of that century it had become heavily industrialised...
, Gorton
Gorton
Gorton is an area of the city of Manchester, in North West England. It is located to the southeast of Manchester city centre. Neighbouring areas include Longsight and Levenshulme....
and Debdale Park. Large-scale demolition took place along the line of the motorway (which is still evident today), tied in with the widening of the Belle Vue and Reddish Lane junctions.
From there the intended route follows the present-day M67, skirting Hyde and Denton. Upon reaching Mottram, the route passed the village to the north (through a tunnel), then crossed Mottram Moor to skirt Hollingworth
Hollingworth
Hollingworth is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, in Greater Manchester, England. It is about twelve miles east of Manchester on the Derbyshire border at Glossop...
through the Etherow
River Etherow
The River Etherow is a river in northern England, and a tributary of the River Goyt. Although now passing through South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Greater Manchester, it historically formed the ancient county boundary between Cheshire and Derbyshire. The upper valley is known as Longdendale...
valley floor. The motorway would then have run around the side of Bottoms Reservoir
Bottoms Reservoir, Derbyshire
Bottoms Reservoir is a man-made lake in Longdendale in north Derbyshire, England. It was constructed between 1865 and 1877, by John Frederick Bateman as part of the Longdendale chain to supply water from the River Etherow to the urban areas of Greater Manchester...
to reach Hadfield
Hadfield, Derbyshire
Hadfield is a parish and small residential town in High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It lies very close to the River Etherow which forms the border between Derbyshire and Greater Manchester...
, from which the trackbed of the Woodhead railway line (the former intercity route between Manchester and Sheffield, now closed) was to have been followed up the Longdendale
Longdendale
Longdendale is a valley in the north of England, north of Glossop and south east of Holmfirth. The name means "long wooded valley".- Geography :...
valley to Woodhead
Woodhead
Woodhead is a small and scattered settlement at the head of the Longdendale valley in Derbyshire, England, situated 18 miles from Manchester and 17 miles from Barnsley. It lies on the River Etherow and the Trans Pennine Trail...
. At Woodhead, the route would have diverged, with one carriageway entering the Woodhead Rail Tunnel
Woodhead Tunnel
The Woodhead Tunnels are three parallel trans-Pennine 3-mile long railway tunnels on the Woodhead Line, a former major rail link from Manchester to Sheffield in northern England...
(now disused) and the other rising on a sweeping viaduct to go over a realigned Woodhead Pass.
Beyond the Pennine watershed, the motorway would have continued on a new alignment past the villages of Langsett and Midhopestones, before meeting the route of the current Stocksbridge bypass.
The Stocksbridge bypass would have been constructed on its present alignment and continued directly onto the M1 at junction 35a. This junction was built specifically as a junction with the M67 (and signposted thus).
Another part of the originally planned "M67" exists in South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, as the A616
A616 road
The A616 is a road which links Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, to the M1 motorway at Junction 30, then reappears at Junction 35A and goes on to Huddersfield, West Yorkshire....
Stocksbridge bypass which opened in 1989. As there was no certainty that the whole M67 scheme would be completed by this time, the then Government decided that the scheme would not be built with motorway characteristics, but as a single carriageway with crawler lanes.
A57/A628 Mottram in Longdendale, Hollingworth and Tintwistle Bypass
A road at the eastern end of the M67 passing to the north of the current A628A628 road
The A628 is a major road in the north of England connecting Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire by crossing the Pennine chain of hills by way of the Woodhead Pass through the Peak District National Park. The height and the exposure of the road often creates problems during poor weather in winter...
route past Mottram
Mottram in Longdendale
Mottram in Longdendale is an unparished village within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies in the valley of Longdendale, on the border with Derbyshire and close to the Peak District neighbouring Broadbottom and Hattersley. Mottram in Longdendale Parish was...
, Hollingworth
Hollingworth
Hollingworth is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, in Greater Manchester, England. It is about twelve miles east of Manchester on the Derbyshire border at Glossop...
and Tintwistle
Tintwistle
Tintwistle is a village and civil parish in the High Peak district of the non-metropolitan county of Derbyshire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,401. The village is just north of Glossop at the lower end of Longdendale Valley...
is currently at planning inquiry stage. It would be to be built as an at-grade. The public inquiry has been adjourned four times and as of January 2008 is 'adjourned indefinitely pending the publication of revised evidence by the Highways Agency and Tameside MBC'
Junctions
| M67 Motorway | ||
| Eastbound exits | Junction | Westbound exits |
| Sheffield, Mottram, Glossop Glossop Glossop is a market town within the Borough of High Peak in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the Glossop Brook, a tributary of the River Etherow, about east of the city of Manchester, west of the city of Sheffield. Glossop is situated near Derbyshire's county borders with Cheshire, Greater... A57 (A628) Hyde, Stockport Stockport Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name... A560 A560 road The A560 is a primary route that runs from the A56 in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, to Hattersley, Tameside following a complex route that involves Primary Route, non-primary route, single and dual carriage way, some complex motorway junctions and, at one point, carriageways running on both... |
Terminus | Start of motorway |
| Hyde A57 | J3 | Hyde A57 |
| No exit | J2 | Denton A57 |
| Denton A6017 | J1A | No exit |
| Start of Motorway | J1/ M60 J24 |
Oldham, Rochdale Stockport, Manchester Airport M60 M60 motorway The M60 motorway, or Manchester Orbital, is an orbital motorway circling Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. It passes through all Greater Manchester's metropolitan boroughs except for Wigan and Bolton... City Centre Manchester City Centre Manchester city centre is the central business district of Manchester, England. It lies within the Manchester Inner Ring Road, next to the River Irwell... A57 |
See also
- List of motorways in the United Kingdom
- Longdendale BypassLongdendale BypassThe Longdendale Bypass was a controversial road scheme in England by the Highways Agency. The aim was to alleviate traffic congestion on the A57 road/A628 road/A616 road routes that presently pass through the villages...
- Woodhead TunnelWoodhead TunnelThe Woodhead Tunnels are three parallel trans-Pennine 3-mile long railway tunnels on the Woodhead Line, a former major rail link from Manchester to Sheffield in northern England...
- Woodhead LineWoodhead LineThe Woodhead Line was a railway line linking Sheffield, Penistone and Manchester in the north of England. A key feature of the route is the passage under the high moorlands of the northern Peak District through the Woodhead Tunnels...