The
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
's M64 motorway was planned during the 1970s to link the
M6 at
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England. It has an estimated population of 259,965 as of 2022, making it the largest settlement in Staffordshire ...
with the
M1 near
Castle Donington
Castle Donington is a market town and civil parish in Leicestershire, England, on the edge of the National Forest and close to East Midlands Airport.
Etymology
The name 'Donington' means 'farm/settlement connected with Dunna'. Another su ...
, by way of
Uttoxeter
Uttoxeter ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in the East Staffordshire borough of Staffordshire, England. It is near to the Derbyshire county border.
The town is from Burton upon Trent via the A50 and the A38, from Stafford via the A51 ...
and
Derby
Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...
.
Its purpose would have been to allow traffic travelling from the
south-east to the
north-west
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A ''compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each ...
to avoid the busy M6 around
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
. It was cancelled in 1976.
During the 1990s, the
A50 between Stoke and Derby was upgraded to dual carriageway instead, following roughly the same route as the middle section of the M64. However, instead of terminating on the M6, the new dual carriageway terminated deep inside the urban area of Stoke on the
A500, and at the eastern end, it terminated on the M1 further north than originally planned.
Meanwhile, the
M6 Toll
The M6 Toll, referred to on some signs as the Midland Expressway (originally named the Birmingham Northern Relief Road or BNRR), and stylised as M6toll, connects M6 Junction 3a at the Coleshill Interchange to M6 Junction 11A at Wolverhampton ...
motorway was built to ease
traffic congestion
Traffic congestion is a condition in transport that is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. Traffic congestion on urban road networks has increased substantially since the 1950s, resulting in m ...
north of Birmingham.
The "M64" number had previously been reserved for the Manchester motorway that opened as the
M602 in 1971.
See also
*
List of motorways in the United Kingdom
This list of motorways in the United Kingdom is a complete list of motorways in the United Kingdom. Note that the Great Britain road numbering scheme, numbering scheme used for Great Britain does not include roads in Northern Ireland, which are ...
References
64
Cancelled highway projects in the United Kingdom
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