List of motorways in the United Kingdom

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UK motorways in 2022
  M-designated motorway
  Upgraded A-road designation

This list of motorways in the United Kingdom is a complete list of motorways in the United Kingdom. Note that the numbering scheme used for Great Britain does not include roads in Northern Ireland, which are allocated numbers on an ad hoc basis.[1]

Great Britain

M-designated motorways

Number Length (mi) Length (km) Southern or western terminus Northern or eastern terminus Formed Removed Notes
M1 193.5 311.4 Staples Corner, London (A406) Hook Moor, Leeds (A1(M) (Great Britain)) 01959-01-011959 current The first long-distance motorway in the country to be built.[2]
M2 25.7 41.4 Strood Faversham 01963-01-011963 current A west-east motorway bypassing Medway.
M3 58.6 94.3 Sunbury-on-Thames Chilworth 01971-01-011971 current A northeast-southwest motorway linking London to Southampton.
M4 189 304 Chiswick Pont Abraham 01963-01-011963 current An east-west motorway linking London to South Wales.
M5 162.9 262.2 West Bromwich Exminster 01962-01-011962 current A northeast-southwest motorway in South West England, linking Birmingham to Exeter.
M6 232.2 373.7 Catthorpe Gretna 01958-01-011958 current A southeast-northwest motorway linking the West Midlands to North West England and Scotland. Continues as A74(M). The first and longest motorway in the country to be built.[2]
M6 Toll 27 43 Coleshill Cannock 02003-01-012003 current A tolled bypass of the M6 in the West Midlands.
M8 60.3 97.0 Sighthill Langbank 01965-01-011965 current A motorway linking Edinburgh to Glasgow.
M9 33.0 53.1 Newbridge Dunblane 01968-01-011968 current A motorway linking Edinburgh to Stirling.
M10 2.8 4.5 Hemel Hempstead (M1) St Albans 01959-01-011959 current A spur from the M1 to St Albans. Now part of the A414.
M11 55.0 88.5 South Woodford Girton 01975-01-011975 current A motorway linking London to Cambridge.
M15 1 1.6 South Woodford Redbridge 01977-01-011977 01987-01-011987 Number allocated for Ringway 2, section between junctions 3 and 4 built and opened as motorway due to inescapably leading to M11 until A406 opened.
M16 3 4.8 South Mimms Potters Bar 01975-01-011975 01975-01-011975 Number allocated for Ringway 3. Short section opened before plans were reworked to merge Ringway 3 and Ringway 4 into a single M25.
M18 26.5 42.6 Thurcroft (M1) Rawcliffe (M62) 01967-01-011967 current A motorway linking Rotherham to Goole as part of a Sheffield to Hull route.
M20 50.6 81.4 Swanley Folkestone 01971-01-011971 current A motorway linking London to Folkestone and the Channel Tunnel.
M23 15.9 25.6 Hooley Pease Pottage 01974-01-011974 current A motorway linking London to Gatwick Airport and Crawley.
M25 117 188 Dartford (Dartford Crossing southern approach) Thurrock (Dartford Crossing northern approach) 01975-01-011975 current A ring road of London numbered clockwise from Dartford.
M26 9.9 15.9 Chevening Addington 01980-01-011980 current A motorway linking the M25 to the M20.
M27 25.0 40.2 Cadnam Portsmouth 01972-01-011972 current South Coast Motorway bypassing Southampton and Portsmouth.
M32 4.4 7.1 Hambrook St Pauls 01966-01-011966 current A spur from the M4 into central Bristol.
M40 89.0 143.2 Denham Tanworth in Arden 01967-01-011967 current A motorway linking London to Birmingham.
M42 40.0 64.4 Catshill Appleby Magna 01976-01-011976 current A quarter-orbital motorway bypassing Birmingham to the south and east, continuing anticlockwise and then northeast as A42 to the M1 at Kegworth.
M45 7.9 12.7 Watford Gap Thurlaston 01959-01-011959 current A spur from the M1 south of Rugby.
M48 12 19 Awkley Undy 01966-01-011966 current The original route over the Severn Bridge bypassed by the M4's new route between Bristol and Caldicot.
M49 5.0 8.0 Redwick Lawrence Weston 01996-01-011996 current A western bypass of Bristol avoiding not only Cribbs Causeway but also Almondsbury, which heads northwest to the M4 and southeast to the M5.
M50 21.6 34.8 Strensham Ross-on-Wye 01960-01-011960 current A motorway between the M5 and Ross-on-Wye forming part of a Midlands-South Wales route.
M53 18.9 30.4 Bidston Hoole Village 01972-01-011972 current A motorway linking Birkenhead (and Liverpool via Kingsway Tunnel) to Chester.
M54 23.0 37.0 Essington Wellington 01975-01-011975 current A motorway linking Wolverhampton to Telford.
M55 12.2 19.6 Fulwood Blackpool 01958-01-011958 current A motorway linking Preston to Blackpool.
M56 33.3 53.6 Cheadle Mollington 01971-01-011971 current A motorway linking Manchester to Chester.
M57 10 16 Huyton Switch Island, Aintree 01972-01-011972 current An eastern bypass of Liverpool linking the M62 to Maghull.
M58 12 19 Switch Island, Aintree Orrell 01977-01-011977 current A motorway linking Liverpool to Wigan.
M60 36 58 Manchester Outer Ring Road 01960-01-011960 current A ring road of Manchester numbered clockwise from Stockport.
M61 20.0 32.2 Worsley Bamber Bridge 01969-01-011969 current A motorway linking Manchester to Preston.
M62 100 160 Liverpool North Cave 01960-01-011960 current A motorway linking Liverpool to Hull.
M63 15 24 Worsley Stockport 01960-01-011960 current Manchester eastern and southern bypasses. Became part of M60.
M65 25.8 41.5 Bamber Bridge Colne 01981-01-011981 current A motorway linking Preston to Burnley.
M66 8.0 12.9 Edenfield Simister Island 01975-01-011975 current A motorway bypassing Bury.
M67 5.0 8.0 Denton Island Hattersley 01978-01-011978 current A motorway linking Manchester to Hadfield.
M69 15.7 25.3 Coventry Leicester 01976-01-011976 current A motorway linking Coventry to Leicester.
M73 7.0 11.3 Uddingston Mollinsburn 01969-01-011969 current An eastern bypass of Glasgow.
M74 40 64 Tradeston Abington 01966-01-011966 current A motorway linking Glasgow towards North West England. Continues as the A74(M) south of Abington.
M77 20.0 32.2 Kinning Park Fenwick 01977-01-011977 current A motorway linking Glasgow to Kilmarnock.
M80 25.0 40.2 Blochairn Bannockburn 01974-01-011974 current A southwest-northeast motorway linking Glasgow to Stirling.
M90 36.0 57.9 Junction 1a of the M9 Perth 01964-01-011964 current A south-north motorway linking Edinburgh to Perth.
M180 25.0 40.2 Stainforth Elsham 01977-01-011977 current A motorway linking Thorne to Grimsby. Continues as the A180 after the exit for the Humber Bridge.
M181 2.0 3.2 East Butterwick Scunthorpe 01978-01-011978 current A spur of the M180 leading to Scunthorpe.
M271 2.3 3.7 Totton Upton 01975-01-011975 current A spur of the M27 bypassing Southampton to the west.
M275 2.0 3.2 Paulsgrove Portsmouth 01976-01-011976 current A spur from the M27 to central Portsmouth and Cosham.
M602 4.0 6.4 Worsley Ordsall, Salford 01971-01-011971 current A motorway linking the M62 to Salford.
M606 3.0 4.8 Cleckheaton Bradford 01972-01-011972 current A spur from the M62 to Bradford.
M621 7.7 12.4 Gildersome Rothwell 01972-01-011972 current Two conjoined spurs linking Leeds to the M1 and M62.
M876 8.0 12.9 Dennyloanhead Bowtrees near Kincardine Bridge 01980-01-011980 current A motorway linking Bonnybridge to Kincardine.
M898 0.5 0.80 Erskine Erskine near Erskine Bridge 01975-01-011975 current A spur from the M8 leading to Erskine Bridge.

Upgraded A-road designations

Link Route Ceremonial counties (England)
Council areas (Scotland)
Principal areas (Wales) 		Highest junction to junction average daily vehicle flow 2019[3] Length
mi km
A1(M) A south-north motorway split into four sections: Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, County Durham, Tyne and Wear 143,012 145.3 233.9
A1077(M) A spur from the M181 to Scunthorpe. Lincolnshire 18,213 0.8 1.3
A167(M) An urban motorway in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. Tyne and Wear 63,911 1.1 1.8
A194(M) A south-north motorway linking the A1(M) to the Tyne Tunnel. 42,802 4.0 6.4
A3(M) A north-south motorway linking the A3 to the A27 near Portsmouth. Hampshire 92,989 5.0 8.0
A308(M) A spur from the M4 south of Maidenhead. Berkshire 23,541 0.6 0.97
A329(M) A southeast-northwest motorway linking Bracknell to Reading. Berkshire 69,520 4.0 6.4
A38(M) A spur from the M6 to central Birmingham. West Midlands 146,908 2.0 3.2
A404(M) A spur from the M4 to High Wycombe. Continues as the A404 west of Maidenhead. Berkshire 59,816 2.4 3.9
A48(M) A spur from the M4 to central Cardiff. Newport, Cardiff 47,203 2.0 3.2
A57(M) Forms part of a ring road of Manchester. Also known as the Mancunian Way. Greater Manchester 90,785 2.0 3.2
A58(M) Forms the western part of the Leeds inner ring road. West Yorkshire 81,647 2.0 3.2
A627(M) A south-north motorway linking Rochdale to Oldham. Greater Manchester 55,749 3.5 5.6
A64(M) Forms the eastern part of the Leeds inner ring road. West Yorkshire 43,617 0.5 0.8
A66(M) A spur from the A1(M) to the A66 south of Darlington. North Yorkshire 15,337 2.0 3.2
A74(M) A northwest-southeast motorway linking the M74 to North West England. Continues as the M6. South Lanarkshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Cumbria 41,662 45 72
A8(M) A spur from the M8 and M73 to Ballieston. Glasgow 10,586 0.2 0.32
A823(M) A spur from the M90 to Dunfermline. Fife 20,363 1.0 1.6

Former motorways

Link Description
M10 A spur that ran from the M1 to St Albans, now part of the A414.
M41 The former number for the West Cross Route, now part of the A3220 road.[4]
A102(M) The former number for the East Cross Route, split into two sections:

Now part of the A102.[4]

A40(M) The former number for the Westway, now part of the A40.[4]
A601(M) A spur that ran from the M6 to Carnforth and Over Kellet. Now part of the A6070 and B6601.[5][6]
A6144(M) A spur that ran from the M60 to Carrington. It was unique for being single carriageway throughout.

Northern Ireland

Number Length (mi) Length (km) Southern or western terminus Northern or eastern terminus Formed Removed Notes
M1 38.0 61.2 Belfast Dungannon 01962-01-011962 current Via Lisburn and Craigavon, in the direction of Sligo, Enniskillen and Omagh. The motorway forms the main Dublin-Belfast route until Sprucefield.
M2 28 45 Belfast Ballymena 01966-01-011966 current In two sections built at different stages, one linking Belfast to Antrim, and the other bypassing Ballymena. The section in between was planned, but never built. Main route out of Belfast to Derry, Coleraine and Larne.
M3 0.8 1.3 M2 in north Belfast A2 Sydenham Bypass in the east of the city 01995-01-011995 current Lagan Bridge
M5 1.4 2.3 M2 in north Belfast Newtownabbey 01980-01-011980 current Forms part of the Belfast-Carrickfergus route.
M12 1.5 2.4 M1 Craigavon 01970-01-011970 current A spur from the M1 near Derrymacash to the centre of Craigavon.
M22 5.6 9.0 Antrim Randalstown 01971-01-011971 current Linking the M2 at Antrim to Randalstown. Forms part of the main road between Belfast and Derry.
A8(M) 1.0 1.6 M2 Ballyhenry 01966-01-011966 current A spur from the M2 at Sandyknowes near Glengormley to Corr's Corner Roadabout on the A8 north-west of Newtownabbey. Forms part of the Belfast-Larne route.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "Northern Ireland Assembly – WRITTEN ANSWERS Friday 15 December 2000". Archived from the original on 23 December 2008. Retrieved 2007-11-19.
  2. ^ a b "Ten speedy facts about motorways". Archived from the original on 28 November 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  3. ^ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named GB Road Traffic Counts
  4. ^ a b c "The GLA Roads Designation Order 2000". Archived from the original on 20 December 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  5. ^ "The Lancashire County Council (A601(M) Partial Revocation) Scheme 2022 Confirmation Instrument 2023". Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  6. ^ "The Lancashire County Council (A601(M) Partial Revocation) Scheme 2019 Confirmation Instrument 2020". Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
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