A serious crash on the M6 near Wigan led to the closure of three lanes on Monday morning, causing significant delays for motorists. The incident occurred on the northbound carriageway between junction 25 at Bryn and junction 26 at the Orrell Interchange, according to traffic monitoring service Inrix.
Initial Response and Closures
National Highways confirmed that lanes two, three, and four were closed following the collision. Emergency services attended the scene, and recovery operations were arranged. Barrier damage was also assessed. At the height of the disruption, delays exceeded 30 minutes on the approach, with queues stretching back to junction 23 at Haydock.
Closures on Both Carriageways
In addition to the northbound closures, two lanes on the M6 southbound were also shut between junction 27 at Standish and junction 26. This compounded the disruption, leading to delays of up to two hours on the southbound side. Traffic England reported that normal conditions were not expected until between 11am and 11:15am.
Reopening and Residual Delays
By 8:14am, all lanes on the M6 northbound had reopened. However, two lanes on the southbound remained closed until later in the morning. National Highways North West announced at 9am that all southbound lanes were open, but warned of delays of 90 minutes and eight miles of congestion on the approach. By 9:32am, Inrix and Traffic England confirmed that traffic had returned to normal.
Motorists were advised to allow extra travel time and seek alternative routes where possible. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
