A major multi-vehicle collision on the M60 anti-clockwise has caused chaos for Manchester's evening commuters, with severe delays stretching across the region's motorway network.
Motorway Mayhem
The incident occurred between junction 15 for the M61 and junction 16 for Pendlebury during Thursday's evening rush hour, bringing traffic to a standstill. Emergency services rushed to the scene as queues quickly built to approximately seven miles.
National Highways confirmed the seriousness of the situation, stating: "There are currently delays of 90 minutes on the approach to this incident, above usual journey times spanning seven miles."
Regional Ripple Effect
The disruption created a domino effect across Greater Manchester's road network:
- M61 southbound experiencing significant congestion
- M62 westbound facing heavy traffic approaching the M60 interchange
- Local routes around Swinton and Pendlebury becoming gridlocked
- Average speeds dropping to just 10mph on affected stretches
Travel time through the area ballooned to over an hour for what would normally be a brief section of journey, leaving thousands of commuters stranded in worsening conditions.
Evening Commute Crisis
The timing couldn't have been worse for workers heading home, with the peak travel period between 4:30 PM and 6:30 PM seeing the most severe impact. Social media quickly filled with frustrated reports from motorists caught in the standstill.
One commuter tweeted: "Stuck on M60 anti-clockwise near J16 - hasn't moved in 40 minutes. Absolute nightmare for everyone trying to get home."
Recovery operations continued into the evening as authorities worked to clear the scene and restore normal traffic flow, though residual delays were expected to persist through the night.
