List of motorways in the United Kingdom

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

Link	Route	Ceremonial counties (England) Council areas (Scotland) Principal areas (Wales)	Highest junction to junction average daily vehicle flow 2019 [2]	Length
				mi	km
M1	A south-north motorway linking London to Leeds.	Greater London, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire	168,763	193.5	311.4
M2	A west-east motorway bypassing Medway, Sittingbourne and Faversham.	Kent	106,582	25.7	41.4
M3	A northeast-southwest motorway linking London to Southampton.	Surrey, Hampshire	136,059	58.6	94.3
M4	An east-west motorway linking London to Cardiff and South Wales.	Greater London, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Monmouthshire, Newport, Cardiff, Vale of Glamorgan, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Bridgend, Neath Port Talbot, Swansea, Carmarthenshire	161,807	189	304
M5	A northeast-southwest motorway in South West England, linking Birmingham to Exeter.	West Midlands, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Bristol, Somerset, Devon	127,584	162.9	262.2
M6	A southeast-northwest motorway linking the West Midlands to North West England.	Leicestershire, Warwickshire, West Midlands, Staffordshire, Cheshire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cumbria	173,201	232.2	373.7
M6 Toll	A tolled bypass of the M6 in the West Midlands.	West Midlands, Staffordshire, Warwickshire	110,489	27	43
M8	An east-west motorway linking Edinburgh to Glasgow.	Edinburgh, West Lothian, North Lanarkshire, Glasgow, Renfrewshire	160,484	60.3	97.0
M9	A southeast-northwest motorway linking Edinburgh to Stirling.	Edinburgh, West Lothian, Falkirk, Stirling	68,143	33.0	53.1
M11	A south-north motorway linking London to Cambridge.	Greater London, Essex, Cambridgeshire	121,964	55.0	88.5
M18	A southwest-northeast motorway linking the M1 to the M62.	South Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire	108,855	26.5	42.6
M20	A west-east motorway linking London to Folkestone and the Channel Tunnel.	Kent	120,348	50.6	81.4
M23	A north-south motorway linking London to Gatwick Airport and Crawley.	Surrey, West Sussex	110,574	15.9	25.6
M25	A ring road of London numbered clockwise from Dartford.	Kent, Surrey, Berkshire, Greater London, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Essex	216,108	117	188
M26	An east-west motorway linking the M25 to the M20.	Kent	70,674	9.9	15.9
M27	A west-east motorway linking Southampton to Portsmouth.	Hampshire	134,210	25.0	40.2
M32	A spur from the M4 into central Bristol.	Gloucestershire, Bristol	84,898	4.4	7.1
M40	A southeast-northwest motorway linking London to Birmingham.	Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire	133,490	89.0	143.2
M42	Bypasses Birmingham to the south and east, continuing to Kegworth as the A42.	Worcestershire, Warwickshire, West Midlands, Leicestershire	154,532	40.0	64.4
M45	A spur from the M1 to Rugby.	Warwickshire, Northamptonshire	19,536	7.9	12.7
M48	An alternative route to the M4 between Bristol and Caldicot.	Gloucestershire, Monmouthshire	22,632	12	19
M49	Bypasses Bristol to the west.	Bristol, Gloucestershire	22,461	5.0	8.0
M50	A west-east motorway between the M5 and Ross-on-Wye.	Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire	32,032	21.6	34.8
M53	A north-south motorway linking central Liverpool to Chester.	Merseyside, Cheshire	79,872	18.9	30.4
M54	An east-west motorway linking Wolverhampton to Telford.	Staffordshire, Shropshire	70,652	23.0	37.0
M55	An east-west motorway linking Preston to Blackpool.	Lancashire	84,905	12.2	19.6
M56	A west-east motorway linking Manchester to Liverpool and Chester.	Greater Manchester, Cheshire	174,693	33.3	53.6
M57	An eastern bypass of Liverpool linking the M62 to Maghull.	Merseyside	99,521	10	16
M58	A west-east motorway linking Liverpool to Wigan.	Merseyside, Lancashire, Greater Manchester	49,376	12	19
M60	A ring road of Manchester numbered clockwise from Stockport.	Greater Manchester	180,501	36	58
M61	A north-south motorway linking Preston to Manchester.	Greater Manchester, Lancashire	150,331	20.0	32.2
M62	A west-east motorway linking Liverpool to Hull.	Merseyside, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire	161,700	107	172
M65	A west-east motorway linking Preston to Colne.	Lancashire	82,970	25.8	41.5
M66	A north-south motorway linking Ramsbottom to Manchester.	Lancashire, Greater Manchester	111,851	8.0	12.9
M67	A west-east motorway linking Manchester to Hadfield.	Greater Manchester	58,435	5.0	8.0
M69	A northeast-southwest motorway linking Leicester to Coventry.	Warwickshire, Leicestershire	64,828	15.7	25.3
M73	An eastern bypass of Glasgow.	North Lanarkshire, Glasgow, South Lanarkshire	95,331	7.0	11.3
M74	A northwest-southeast motorway linking Glasgow to North West England. Continues as the A74(M) south of Abington.	Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire	107,475	40	60
M77	A north-south motorway linking Glasgow to Kilmarnock.	Glasgow, East Renfrewshire, East Ayrshire	94,151	20.0	32.2
M80	A southwest-northeast motorway linking Glasgow to Stirling.	Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, Falkirk, Stirling	104,305	25.0	40.2
M90	A south-north motorway linking Edinburgh to Perth.	Edinburgh, Fife, Perth and Kinross	76,503	36.0	57.9
M180	A west-east motorway linking Thorne to Grimsby. Continues as the A180 after the exit for the Humber Bridge.	South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire	48,780	25.0	40.2
M181	A spur of the M180 leading to Scunthorpe.	Lincolnshire	18,213	2.0	3.2
M271	A spur of the M27 bypassing Southampton to the west.	Hampshire	53,678	2.3	3.7
M275	A spur from the M27 to central Portsmouth.		86,291	2.0	3.2
M602	A west-east motorway linking the M62 to Salford.	Greater Manchester	73,292	4.0	6.4
M606	A spur from the M62 to Bradford.	West Yorkshire	77,277	3.0	4.8
M621	An east-west motorway linking Leeds to the M1 and M62.		103,207	7.7	12.4
M876	A southwest-northeast motorway linking Bonnybridge to Kincardine.	Falkirk	42,611	8.0	12.9
M898	A spur from the M8 leading to Erskine Bridge.	Renfrewshire	51,831	0.5	0.8

Upgraded A-road designations

Link	Route	Ceremonial counties (England) Council areas (Scotland) Principal areas (Wales)	Highest junction to junction average daily vehicle flow 2019 [2]
A1(M)	A south-north motorway split into four sections: from Potters Bar to Baldock; from Huntingdon to Peterborough; as a western bypass of Doncaster; from Pontefract to Newcastle-upon-Tyne.	Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, County Durham, Tyne and Wear	143,012
A3(M)	A north-south motorway linking the A3 to the A27 near Portsmouth.	Hampshire	92,989
A8(M)	A spur from the M8 and M73 to Ballieston.	Glasgow	10,586
A38(M)	A spur from the M6 to central Birmingham.	West Midlands	146,908
A48(M)	A spur from the M4 to central Cardiff.	Newport, Cardiff	47,203
A57(M)	Forms part of a ring road of Manchester. Also known as the Mancunian Way.	Greater Manchester	90,785
A58(M)	Forms the western part of the Leeds inner ring road.	West Yorkshire	81,647
A64(M)	Forms the eastern part of the Leeds inner ring road.		43,617
A66(M)	A spur from the A1(M) to the A66 near Darlington.	North Yorkshire	15,337
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
A167(M)	An urban motorway in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne.	Tyne and Wear	63,911
A194(M)	A south-north motorway linking the A1(M) to the Tyne Tunnel.		42,802
A308(M)	A spur from the M4 to Bray.	Berkshire	23,541
A329(M)	A southeast-northwest motorway linking Bracknell to Reading.		69,520
A404(M)	A spur from the M4 to High Wycombe. Continues as the A404 west of Maidenhead.		59,816
A627(M)	A south-north motorway linking Rochdale to Chadderton.	Greater Manchester	55,749
A823(M)	A spur from the M90 to Dunfermline.	Fife	20,363
A1077(M)	A spur from the M181 to Scunthorpe.	Lincolnshire	18,213

Former motorways

Roads which used to be motorways but have been downgraded:

Link	Description
M10	A short spur northwest bound and southeast bound linking St Albans to the M1 near Hemel Hempstead. After 50 years as a motorway spur, it was downgraded to the A414 in 2009 due to widening of the M1 between the M25 and Luton.
M15	The designation for the Ringway 2 upgrade of the A406 (North Circular Road) and A205 (South Circular Road). Only the section between junction 4 of the M11 and Redbridge Roundabout was built to motorway standard and was initially signed as M11 because the section built, at the time, only led to and from the M11. When the route was extended to Beckton, this section of M11 was redesignated as the A406 (North Circular Road).
M41	The London West Cross Route, a spur from the London Westway (A40(M)) and the only part of the western section of the London Motorway Box to be built; downgraded to the A3220 in 2000. [3]
A36(M)	Claimed number for the spur at M27 J2. Initially part of the M27 until the Totton Western Bypass opened after which it was downgraded to an extension of the A36. The A36(M) designation was never used; the route was simply named as a spur of the M27.
A40(M)	The London Westway, downgraded to the A40 in 2000. [3]
A41(M)	The Tring bypass, downgraded to the A41 in 1987.
A46(M)	A spur towards Leicester from the M1 at J21. Downgraded to the A5460 in 1976 due to completion of the M69.
A102(M)	The London East Cross Route, in two sections: Hackney Wick to Old Ford (now the A12); Blackwall Tunnel to the Sun in the Sands roundabout (now the A102 [3] ). Was the eastern section of the London Motorway Box.
A329(M)	The northern third of the A329(M) from Winnersh to Reading was downgraded to the A3290 in the early 1990s to permit Reading council to dedicate one lane for buses.
A601(M)	The southern part (single carriageway link to the B6254) is now the B6601. Downgraded in 2020 to enable access to adjacent development. [4] The remainder of the route was downgraded to the A6070 in 2023. [5]
A6144(M)	Formerly the longest single-carriageway motorway spur in the United Kingdom from the M60 north of Sale towards Carrington. Downgraded to a spur of the A6144 in 2006.

Motorways that have been renumbered

Link	Description
M16	Northern and western sections of Ringway 3; completed sections are now part of the M25.
M52	Planned as a Liverpool-to-Manchester motorway; nearly all of it opened as part of the M62 cross-country route, and a short section as the M64 (later M602) in Manchester.
M62	Originally planned to be the western loop around Manchester and Salford; became part of the M63 before the western extension of the M62 was opened; now the M60 J7-J13.
M63	Manchester South Orbital; merged with parts of the M62 and M66 in 1998 to form the new M60 Manchester orbital motorway.
M64	Eccles Bypass, formerly part of the M52; it was not considered important enough to carry a two-digit number (and it had not yet opened) and was redesignated as M602.
M65	Gildersome to Leeds Motorway; not considered important enough (and it had not yet opened) to carry a two-digit number, it was redesignated as M621.
M68	Allocated to the southern and eastern sections of the Manchester Outer Ring Road. The eastern section became a portion of the M66 when it opened north of the M62 in the early 1970s and was renumbered to M60 J18-19 in 1998 while the southern section was eventually dropped altogether by 2010.
M85	Renumbered to M90 J10-11 in 1994. Previously the M90 carried on along the spur into Perth, leaving the main route ahead as the M85.
M531	Ellesmere Port Motorway; was the A5032 before 1975. Now the M53 J5-10.
A1(M)	Central Motorway East; became the A6127(M) when the A1 was rerouted to run through the Tyne Tunnel. Now the A167(M).
A2(M)	Provisional number for the Medway Motor Road, a bypass of Chatham, Gillingham and Rochester. Changed to M2 as a result of an article in the 15 December 1959 edition of The Daily Telegraph.
A4(M)	Maidenhead Bypass; became a portion of the M4 and later part of the A423(M). Now the A404(M). A small section was abandoned.
A5(M)	Provisional number for the Wellington Bypass, redesignated as the M54 before construction was complete.
A8(M)	Provisional number for the Renfrew Bypass, now part of the M8.
A14(M)	Secretive (unsigned) motorway linking the A14 and A1(M) near Huntingdon. Documents referred the route as A14(M) or A604(M). Became a part of A1(M) when the A14(M) designation was moved to the Huntingdon-Cambridge section of the A14.
A18(M)	A spur from the M18 to the A18 north of Doncaster. Mostly now part of the M180, although a section has been abandoned.
A20(M)	Maidstone Bypass; now the M20 J5-8.
A21(M)	Disputed, secret number for the section of the A21 Sevenoaks bypass that became the M25 in 1986.
A23(M)	Original number of the M23.
A40(M)	Provisional number for the High Wycombe and Beaconsfield bypasses. The Beaconsfield bypass was changed to M40 before it opened. It is not clear when the High Wycombe bypass was renumbered, but it too is now the M40.
A48(M)	Morriston Bypass; now the M4 J44-46.
A48(M)	Port Talbot Bypass; now the M4 J39-41.
A50	Provisional number for the M1.
A62(M)	Original designation for the Leeds Southeastern Urban Motorway, now the M621.
A65(M)	Erroneous designation for the A64(M), either a map error or a deliberate trap street.
A185(M)	Map error for A194(M), appearing in a 1969 map. Number officially never used.
A423(M)	Originally A4(M) and then part of the M4. Now the A404(M).
A446(M)	Provisional number for the M6 Toll.
A638(M)	Provisional number for the M606.
A1231(M)	Unsigned spur from the A1(M) near Washington services. Now part of the A195(M), also unsigned.
A6127(M)	Originally A1(M); now the A167(M).

Motorways under construction or planned

The Adwick-le-Street to M62 stretch of the A1 is under consideration for upgrade to motorway standard, meaning the A1 between Blyth, south of Doncaster, to Birtley near Gateshead, would all be part of the same A1(M) stretch of motorway.

In addition, the proposal to put a tunnel under the River Thames to the east of Dartford Crossing and the revived Birmingham Western Orbital plans are both described as motorways. ^{[6] [7]}

Unbuilt motorways

There have been many plans for motorways in the UK that have not been built. Below is a. non-exhaustive list of plans that were not built:

• M1 Sterling Corner Link, linking the A1 at Sterling Corner to the M1.
• M11 extension from Ringway 1 to Ringway 2 (Hackney to Woodford via Leytonstone and Snaresbrook); most of the route was controversially built in 1999 as the A12 ("M11 Link Road") from Hackney to Wanstead, connecting with the existing Eastern Avenue.
• M12 in three forms (although a small part was built and is not used - a stub sliproad):
  • From the London end of the M11 at Woodford to Brentwood;
  • From the London end of the M11 at Woodford to Maplin Sands Airport (also not built);
  • From the M25 (in the vicinity of the M11) to Chelmsford.
• M13, from East London to Maplin Sands Airport passing south of Southend.
• M14, reserved as the long-term designation for the western side of Ringway 1, intended to replace the temporary M41 number. It is unknown if it was to apply to all of Ringway 1 as an M1x number would have been out-of-zone for the West Cross Route in isolation.
• M17 Castle Donington bypass, a short spur off the M1. Now part of the A42.
• M19, M1 to A1 in Yorkshire. Functionally equivalent to the M62 between junction 29 and 32A, but located further to the north, and without the eastern extension to Hull. Now part of the M62.
• M30, a proposed renumbering of the M3 once it was extended from Basingstoke to Southampton, but it never happened and the route remains the M3.
• M31, a bypass of the busiest section of the M25, cutting the corner for traffic from the west. Partially built as the A329(M) and A3290.
• M56-M62 Link, from the M56 to the M62, cutting the corner in Cheshire. Cancelled in 1993.
• M58, very early proposed number for the proposed Preston Southern Bypass.
• M58 Mid-Lancashire Motorway, from west of Wigan to west of Bolton and the M61; cancelled in 1969. In the mid-1970s the M58 was reinstated, but as a two-lane dual carriageway and was cancelled again in 1986. In 1989, it was re-instated a second time, but was rerouted to end at the A58 instead of the M61 in 1993 and cancelled yet again in 1996. Wigan MBC picked up the M58 in the late 1990s, but only the western end was dual carriageway and the rest was downgraded to single carriageway. In 2007 the M58 was cancelled for good.
• M59, M58 J2 to south of Preston. Gradually trimmed back and eventually cancelled, partially due to widening of the M6.
• M60, a bypass of Altrincham and Sale, running from the M56 to Manchester. One section built as the A6144(M), and the section between M6 and M56 was built as an all-purpose dual carriageway bypass of the A556 (this section was planned as A556(M)). ^[8]
• M62 Relief Road, intended to relieve traffic on the existing M62, running alongside the M62 to the north and west of Salford and Manchester. Cancelled in 1995.
• M64, between the M6 south of Stoke-on-Trent and the M1 near Derby. Cancelled in 1976 to save costs, but the central section was built as an upgrade of the A50.
• Most of the M67 – from Hattersley to the M1 via the Hope Valley in the Peak District national park and Sheffield. Various routes have been proposed but have yet to come to fruition due to controversy and/or expense. In 2014, the then Sheffield Hallam MP and Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg signalled his support for improvements to the Woodhead Pass. ^[9]
• M81, proposed number for the Maryhill Motorway and Trossachs Motorway, bypassing the A81 between Central Glasgow and Milngavie.
• M82, proposed number for the North Link Motorway and Lomond Motorway.
• M83, proposed number for the South Link Motorway and East Link Motorway, providing a south bypass of Glasgow via Rutherglen.
• M100, number reserved by the Department for Transport for a completed A1(M) between London and Tyneside.
• M111 (or M110), number reserved for the rump section of the M1 if an extension towards the A1(M) were to be routed west of Leeds. Because the M1 was extended east of Leeds instead, the renumbering never happened.
• M272 Portswood Link, initially cancelled in the mid-1970s, but was reinstated in the 1980s as M27. Built as the A335 in 1989.
• M274, proposed number for the M27 spur / M275 mainline from the M27 northwards at Port Solent Interchange. Number never assigned or used; now part of the M27/M275.
• M601 Irwell Valley Motorway, which would have entered Manchester from the M62 (now the M60) in the Irwell Valley at Clifton near Pendlebury. ^[10]
• M650 Aire Valley Motorway, from near Silsden to Shipley. Cancelled in 1975; the A650 was built instead.
• A2(M) Dover Radial Route, which would have run between Ringway 1 and Ringway 2. Built as the A2 Rochester Way Relief Road in 1988.
• A6(M), bypassing Stockport to the west.
• A6(M) (or M66 extension), which would have formed an eastern bypass for Stockport. As of March 2006, this is still under the planning stage as part of the SEMMMS (south east Manchester multi modal study) project (though not as motorway).
• A11(M), original number for the M11.
• A14(M), number for the planned upgrade of the A14 between Cambridge and Huntingdon. The proposal was dropped in 2019 to allow the road to be opened sooner, and it opened as the A14 as a "best in Class A road" instead. ^{[11] [12]}
• A34(M), a motorway standard bypass of Handforth, Wilmslow and Alderley Edge. The route later opened as non-motorway A34 bypasses.
• A48(M) Llantrisant Radial, branching off the A48 and running west out of Cardiff towards M4 J33. Cancelled in 1971 in favor of construction of the M4 north of Cardiff.
• A59(M) Ormskirk Bypass, planned bypass of Ormskirk, Burscough and Rufford. Became part of the planned M59 in 1963.
• A61(M) Sheffield Urban Motorway Link
• A556(M), which would have cut the corner between the M6 and M56 near Warrington; originally part of the planned M60. Cancelled in 2003, but completed in 2017 as an all-purpose dual carriageway bypass of the A556.
• A695(M) Shields Road Motorway, running from the A167(M) to A187 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, cancelled in 1975. Later partially built as a bypass of the A193.
• A Ring, planned ring around Central London. Cancelled in 1950 as too expensive.
• Belmont Link Motorway, linking the M6 to the A675 south of Higher Walton. It was proposed as part of the 1949 Road Plan for Lancashire, and its line confirmed by the Ministry in 1960, but no construction contracts were granted.
• Bilston Link Motorway, linking M6 J10 to the A4123.
• Blackpole - Whittington Motorway, proposed motorway in Worcester serving new development east of the city. The portion north of the B4636 is now the B4638.
• Central Motorway East Bypass, bypassing the Central Motorway East and the Tyne Bridge. Cancelled as it was ahead of its time, although some stub sliproads were built in case the motorway was built later.
• Central Motorway West, running from New Redheugh Bridge to Town Moor Interchange, cancelled in 1975. One section completed as the B1318 and another section became a surface-level road.
• Central Spine Motorway, running north-south via Worcester.
• Chippenham Spur, off the M4
• Claremont Road Motorway, essentially an extension of the Central Motorway East to relieve traffic on Claremont Road. Built as the A167 and A167(M).
• Coventry North-South Motorway, running north to south through Coventry. All of the route (except for one section) built as the A444.
• Cublington Airport Motorway, planned motorway to serve Cublington Airport.
• Denham Spur, cutting the corner between the M40 and Ringway 3 to the north
• Derby Urban Motorway, proposed link from the Derby Inner Ring Road (A601) to the then-A6 (now A5194) at London Road
• Droitwich - Leicester Motorway, a proposed pre-war motorway, one of two crossing the Midlands between the M1 and the Bristol-Birmingham-Preston motorway corridor (this one was southwest-northeast, the other was southeast-northwest). It eventually morphed into the M42 and M69 schemes. The route was numbered as M4 and M46.
• East Coast Motorway, unofficial proposal in early 1991 for a motorway running along the eastern side of England from the end of the M11 to Tyneside.
• East Cross Route, from Hackney Wick to Kidbrooke Park as the eastern section of Ringway 1. Now the A12 and A102.
• East Kilbride Motorway
• East-West Underground Motorway, running underground beneath Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
• Eastern Motorway (Portsmouth), planned motorway running from the M27 to Portsmouth, complementing the M275.
• EuroRoute, rival proposal to the Channel Tunnel. ^[13]
• Friars Goose Crossing, planned crossing of the River Tyne, linking Newcastle to the south.
• Furness Link, running from the M6 at Carnforth to Grange-over-Sands. Now the A601(M).
• Glasgow Inner Ring Road, planned ring road around Glasgow city center. Partially built as M8 J15-J20.
• Hamilton-Cumbernauld Motorway
• Hook Road, connecting Cardiff to the northern suburbs at the missing M4 J31. Cancelled in 1972 due to immense opposition.
• Johnstone Motorway
• Kendal Link
• Liverpool Inner Motorway
• London Oxford Airport Motorway
• Malvern Radial Motorway, proposed motorway in Worcester, running west of the city center and bypassing the A44 through St Johns and ending at the A4103 at Rushwick. A dual carriageway link would continue on to the A449 at Powick, taking traffic to Malvern.
• Manchester Inner Ring Road, planned ring road around Manchester city center.
• Morecambe Link Motorway, an east-west bypass of Lancaster
• Newport Southern Bypass, planned bypass of M4 to the south of Newport. Planned to be tolled, it was designated as M4 Toll. It was scrapped in 2009 due to increased costs of building the road. Although given full approval in 2014, it was cancelled again in 2019.
• North Cross Route, northern section of Ringway 1 (innermost ring of London). Only a small section was constructed at the eastern end, and no evidence has been found that it had a motorway number.
• Northern and Western Motorway, a 1923 motorway plan. A core section would run from the A45 to the east of Coventry, around southern Birmingham and the west of the Black Country and Wolverhampton north to Manchester and Salford and ending at the A57. A southern section would branch off at Coventry and head to London, paralleling the A41 and along the present A413 to the end of the proposed Western Avenue (A403) at the Denham Roundabout. A northern branch was planned from Altrincham to Liverpool and even a branch of this branch, from St Helens to Oldham, passing north of Manchester. Government disinterest and the power of the railways killed off the plan.
• Paisley - Hamilton Motorway
• Princess Parkway Motorway, heading south from Manchester. Part of route now the A5103 north of M56 J3.
• Ringway 2, planned upgrades of the A205 and A406 and a replacement for the Woolrich Ferry. One section, between the M11 and A13, would have been designated as the M15. Initially known as the "C Ring".
• Ringway 3, proposed third ring around London, running along the north of the M25 from J23 to J3 via the Dartford Crossing. The section from South Mimms to Potters Bar was numbered as M16, but it is unknown whether the number would have applied to the entire route. Now part of the M25.
• Ringway 4, proposed fourth ring around London, running along the M26 and M25 from J5 to the spur off J19. The M25 number was planned for the motorway.
• Sheffield Spur Motorway, a section of M1 left over when it was rerouted to end at Doncaster. It was numbered M11 or M58 (depending on numbering scheme). This spur was extended towards Leeds and became the M1 again, while the rump bit between Thurcroft and Doncaster became the M18.
• South Bristol Spur, running from Ashton Gate to M5 J20. Portion of route now the A370.
• South Cross Route, the southern section of Ringway 1. Never built.
• Strensham – Solihull motorway, a link between the M50 and M42; it was routed via Evesham but this was cancelled as it ran through farmland, and so it was changed to ran through Redditch instead. In the earliest stages of planning, a route that would have linked it with the M69 was considered.
• Thames Gateway Airport Access Road, linking M2 J1 at Strood to the proposed Thames Gateway Airport.
• Townhill Link Motorway, from M27 J6 (also not built) into Southampton via Townhill and ending at Mousehole Roundabout north of Bitterne. Unofficially numbered as M273.
• Trafford Park Motorway, short spur with an intermediate junction that was part of SELNEC plans.
• Warndon Radial Motorway, proposed motorway in Worcester running from the Central Spine Motorway to the Blackpole-Whittington Motorway.
• Western Orbital Motorway - M6 north of M54/M6 junction to M5 near Bromsgrove. Planned to relieve congestion in the West Midlands, this would have diverted traffic heading north west to south west away from the heavily congested M6 south of Walsall. A spur was planned to link to the A449 north of Wombourne. This proposal has been around since construction of the M42 started. The idea has not been completely abandoned but is more likely to be built as an all-purpose road rather than a motorway.
• Weston Spur, running from the M5 to Weston-super-Mare

Many cities had urban motorway plans, most of which were not built. London, ^[14] Newcastle, ^[15] Liverpool, ^[16] Manchester/SELNEC and Glasgow ^[16] all had extensive plans.

Northern Ireland

M-designated motorways

Link	Route	Council areas
M1	Linking Belfast to Dungannon.	Belfast, Lisburn and Castlereagh, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Mid Ulster
M2	In two sections, one linking Belfast to Antrim, and the other bypassing Ballymena. The section in between was planned, but never built.	Belfast, Antrim and Newtownabbey, Mid and East Antrim
M3	Linking the M2 in north Belfast to the A2 Sydenham Bypass in east Belfast.	Belfast
M5	Linking the M2 in north Belfast to Newtownabbey.	Belfast, Antrim and Newtownabbey
M12	A spur from the M1 near Derrymacash to the north of Portadown.	Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon
M22	Linking the M2 at Antrim to Randalstown.	Antrim and Newtownabbey

Upgraded A-road designations

Link	Route	Council areas
A8(M)	A spur from the M2 near Glengormley to the A8 north-west of Newtownabbey.	Antrim and Newtownabbey

Unbuilt motorways

The following motorways were planned, but never built:

• M4, from Belfast south to Carryduff, where the roads to Newcastle and Downpatrick split. Bypasses the A24 Ormeau Road. ^[17]
• M6, branching off the M5 and heading north to Larne. ^[17]
• M7, bypassing the A20 between central Belfast and Dundonald, with plans to extend it to Newtownards. Ran along an old railway line. ^[17]
• M8 Belfast Southern Link, ran along the Lagan Valley from the M1 at Belfast to the M4 at Stranmillis, intended to distribute traffic heading from Lisburn to Belfast, taking traffic heading to North Down and East Belfast off the M1 before M11 traffic from Newry and northern Lisburn merged in. Cancelled in 1969 due to poor traffic estimates and the removal of a section of the M4 north of Stranmillis. ^[17]
• M11, from the M1 going through Lisburn and then crossing the M1 again and ending at Newry. Intended to be the main route for Dublin, bypassing the A1. Not seen as important, being one of the lowest priorities for construction and relied on Craigavon plans for a new large city being built. Cancelled in 1969; the A1 was upgraded instead. ^[17]
• M21 Belfast Airport Motorway, number reserved for a motorway to Belfast Airport.
• M23, from the M2 to Derry. ^[17]

There were also urban motorway plans for Belfast. ^{[18] [17]}

See also

• List of numbered roads in the British Isles
• Motorways in the Republic of Ireland
• List of controlled-access highway systems
• Evolution of motorway construction in European nations

Notes

1. "Northern Ireland Assembly – WRITTEN ANSWERS Friday 15 December 2000". Archived from the original on 23 December 2008. Retrieved 19 November 2007.
2. "GB Road Traffic Counts". Archived from the original on 1 October 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
3. Under its charter, motorways are excluded from the remit of Transport for London. These routes had their motorway status removed to allow TfL control over them.
4. "The Lancashire County Council (A601(M) Partial Revocation) Scheme 2019 Confirmation Instrument 2020".
5. "The end of the A601(M) | Roads.org.uk". www.roads.org.uk. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
6. "Lower Thames Crossing Statutory Consultation - Highways England - Citizen Space". highwaysengland.citizenspace.com.
7. Elkes, Neil (6 June 2018). "Revealed: New bypass plan to end M6 and M5 traffic misery". birminghammail.
8. "A556 Knutsford to Bowden improvement scheme". costain.com.
9. "TransPennine: "Go the whole way, complete the M67, with a tunnel underneath"". 9 November 2014.
10. "A road to the past: Salford's unbuilt motorway that would have destroyed landmarks and neighbourhoods". Salford Now. 7 March 2023.
11. "Plans for part of A14 upgrade to become a motorway". GOV.UK. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
12. "New A14 bypass to open a year early". GOV.UK. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
13. "EuroRoute". Roads.org.uk.
14. CBRD Histories: London Ringways Archived 18 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine
15. "Pathetic Motorways". pathetic.org.uk.
16. "Articles". Roads.org.uk.
17. "History - Northern Ireland Motorway Plans - Northern Ireland Roads Site". www.wesleyjohnston.com.
18. "History - Belfast Urban Motorway and A12 Westlink - Northern Ireland Roads Site". www.wesleyjohnston.com.