Wigan Album
M6 Motorway
6 Comments
Photo: Barrie.
Item #: 30670
One could not take a photograph in 2018 from that spot due to traffic. The motorway was opened on the 29th July 1963 (55 years ago this month)
What a fantastic piece of civil engineering this was. An incredible achievment. Alas, we never knew what folly we may have created. At the time it was progress on a gigantic scale; now it is a running farce. It did what it it set out to do; but we never realised just how important the motor car would become in our everyday lives. How splendid it looks here...And how horrendous it has now become...
Immediately after this section of the M6 opened we would drive from Aspull via the old A6 to Bamber Bridge, join the new road, stop for a cuppa at Charnock Richard services then continue to Knutsford, turn around, then leave the M6 at Wigan just for the experience of these new types of road. Try doing that today and it 'WOULD BE AN EXPERIENCE'. Lovely pic Brian, great reminder of my youth. Ta!.
Wolverhampton and back in just over an hour on a good day. On a 'bad' day - maybe an entire afternoon...
Jarvo it was a great civil engineering project of the early 60's and I was proud to be part of the engineering team that worked on it. It was hard work but we had our fun as well. As I lived in Standish with the A49 as the main road, the Saturday before the M6 opened the village was gridlocked with cars etc heading north & south.The village returned to a trickle of vehicles after it was opened. Earlier this year I paid a visit to Standish during the day and wow! traffic jams again both ways and no hold ups on the M6 locally.Town planners have still a lot to learn when they allow developers free reign without considering the growth of car ownership and HGV's delivering goods via the local roads.We have it here on the Wirral. If the M53 is blocked the local roads become the rat runs.
Wolverhampton and back in just over an hour!!!! Wigan to Wolverhampton via the M6 around eighty miles.
Remmember so clearly watching this motorway being built ...the bridge in the distance is the one I used to stand on and watch the cars and trucks zooming under it at such speeds ....must have been in my early teens then ...cheers Barrie...thank you for the memories.... :-)