M68
M68 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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From: | Simister (SD826059) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
To: | Sale (SJ810912) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Via: | Rhodes, Bredbury, Hazel Grove, Manchester Airport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Met: | M60, M62, M66, M56 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Now part of: | M60, M56 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The M68 number was allocated to the eastern and southern sections of the Manchester Outer Ring Road.
Eastern Section
The number only appeared on maps and documentation, and not on signage, and at the M62 end it was signed as (A576). It was renumbered M66 in the early 1970s and M60 in 1998, when the eastern section as far as Bredbury was completed.
Southern Section
The number appeared on a map showing the motorway between the M56 and Manchester Airport as holding this number.
While the section from the M56 to Sale was dropped early on, the rest of the unbuilt section was on the books well into the 80s. After that, the A6(M) was still on the cards as motorway, with the Hazel Grove to Manchester Airport section being all purpose. Part of it was built - the A555 and the whole route, as an at-grade all purpose route was proposed by the South & East Manchester Multi Modal Study, though in 2010, the Bredbury - Hazel Grove segment was scrapped.
The 2008 DfT road list describes the M68 as being "Temporary - reserved Manchester outer ring road (southern section to facilitate possible extension eastwards from Hazel Grove)". It is unknown what this eastern extension is, however it is clear that neither the motorway or the extension exist today.
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