Wednesday 4th October 2000

The final section of the M60 Manchester outer ring road, from Denton to Middleton, opened. Built over a 40-year period, it passes through all Greater Manchester’s metropolitan boroughs except for Wigan and Bolton. Most of the City of Manchester is encompassed within the motorway, except for the southernmost part of the city (primarily the Wythenshawe area and Manchester Airport), which are served by the M56. The M60 is 36.1 miles long and was renamed the M60 in 2000, with parts of the M62 and M66 and all of the M63 being amalgamated into the new route. The road forms part of the unsigned Euroroutes E20 and E22. During 2008, the M60 was proposed as a cordon for congestion charging in Greater Manchester, although this was rejected in a referendum relating to the Greater Manchester Transport Innovation Fund. The M60 is the only true orbital motorway in the United Kingdom, as the M25 motorway in London is not, due to the Dartford Crossing being designated the A282.