Work to upgrade Greater Manchester’s Simister Island, an interchange which connects the M60, M62 and M66 motorways, is set to be carried out over the next three weeks, which will see road closures. Last year, the Government approved funding for over fifty road and rail upgrades across the country, including Simister Island, as part of the £92bn of transport investment in the Spending Review.
A series of overnight road closures near M60 Junction 18 to install temporary traffic management as part of the Simister Island upgrade will take place, starting from Tuesday 26th May. The installation of the traffic management measures includes a new temporary safety barrier, average speed cameras and replacing road markings.
Regarding the overnight closures, National Highways said: “These measures are essential to ensuring the safety of our workforce and customers, and are aimed at also minimising disruption on the motorway during busier periods.
“From the week commencing Monday 1 June 2026, there will be some additional noise in the area during these works as we do this vital safety work. The equipment we use means some disturbance is unavoidable, but we’ll make every effort to minimise any noise generated by the activities.
“We apologise in advance for any disruption these works will cause and thank you for your patience as we carry out this work.”
Why does Simister Island need upgrading?
Simister Island Interchange is one of the busiest motorway junctions in the north-west, used by around 90,000 vehicles each day. The project aims to improve junction 18 of the M60 and facilitate smoother flows of traffic along the connecting motorways, contributing to more reliable and safer journeys into and around Greater Manchester.
What are the improvement plans for Simister Island?
The plans to upgrade Simister Island would include:
- Construction of a new free-flow link (northern loop) from the M60 eastbound to M60 southbound carriageways.
- Realignment of the M66 southbound carriageway on the approach to the junction.
- Construction of a new two-lane free-flow road from the M60 northbound to the M60 westbound to replace the existing single-lane, and widen the M66 southbound to four lanes through junction 18.
- Conversion of the hard shoulder into a permanent traffic lane between M60 junctions 17 and 18, providing five lanes in both directions.
- Other works will include improvements to signage, signalling and drainage.
Where and when will the road closures take place for the Simister Island upgrade?
National Highways said closures will be from 9pm until 6am, and will move along the M62 and M66 as well as the M60, including slip roads, while works progress.
All the road closures, dates and times
Thursday 4th June 2026 – overnight full closure (9pm to 6am)
M60 Anticlockwise Jct 17 exit slip road closure
M60 Anticlockwise Jct 19 entry slip road closure
M60 ACW Jct 19 entry link road closure
M60 Anticlockwise Jct 18 exit slip road closure
M60 ACW to M60 ACW link road closure
M60 anticlockwise Jct 19 free flow link closure
Friday 5th June 2026 – overnight full closure (9pm to 6am)
M60 anticlockwise jct 19 – 18 carriageway closure
M60 anticlockwise jct 19 entry slip road closure
M60 anticlockwise jct 18 exit slip road closure
M60 anticlockwise jct 18 dedicated lane closure
Saturday 6th June 2026 – overnight full closure (9pm to 6am)
M60 Clockwise Jct 18 to M66 Northbound link road closure
Sunday 7th June 2026 – overnight full closure (9pm to 6am)
M60 Anticlockwise Jct 17 exit slip road closure
Monday 8th June 2026 – overnight full closure (9pm to 6am)
M60 Anticlockwise Jct 19 link road closure
M60 Anticlockwise to M60 Anticlockwise link road closure
M60 Anticlockwise Jct 19 entry slip road closure
M60 Anticlockwise Jct 18 exit slip road closure
M60 Anticlockwise Jct 19 to 18 Carriageway Closure
Tuesday 9th June 2026 – overnight full closure (9pm to 6am)
M60 Clockwise Jct 18 to M66 Northbound link road closure
M60 Anticlockwise Jct 19 link road closure
M60 Anticlockwise Jct 17 exit slip road closure
Wednesday 10th June 2026 – overnight full closure (9pm to 6am)
M60 Anticlockwise Jct 19 link road closure
M60 Anticlockwise Jct 18 Carriageway Closure between exit and entry slips
You can find the full list of daily road closures here.