A6144(M) Motorway

A6144(M) Motorway

The A6144(M) was a motorway in Carrington, Greater Manchester, England. It was rare among motorways in that it was entirely single carriageway, the only motorway of its kind in the UK. The others are dual carriageway for at least some of their length.

About 1 mile (2 km) long, the road connected the A6144 road to the M60 at junction 8. It was the highest numbered A-road(M) motorway and was also one of only two four-digit, Axxxx(M) motorways, the other being the A6127(M) (now A167(M)). Also relatively rare was that the motorway was not a trunk road and therefore not the responsibility of the Highways Agency.

The road also had no hard shoulder; instead, two emergency lay-bys with SOS phones and lights were provided midway along the length of the road. Also, it was possible to go from the A6144 to the A56 without going on the mainline of the M60 or any other motorway. One of the main reasons for its needing motorway status was that the junction with the M60 used to have two small roundabouts. It would be very difficult physically for a driver of a long vehicle prohibited from motorways to perform a U-turn due to the small size of the roundabouts. They might be forced to drive onto the M60 slip roads.

The unusual status of the A6144(M) had led to its gaining a number of fans, particularly within organisations such as the Society for All British And Irish Road Enthusiasts (SABRE).