M57 motorway
Encyclopedia
The M57 motorway, also known as the Liverpool Outer Ring Road, is a road
in England
. Designed as a bypass
road for Liverpool
, it is 14 miles (22.5 km) long and links various towns east of the city, as well as the M62
and M58
motorways.
, at the end of the A5300
, the motorway heads north to the east of Huyton
and west of Prescot
and crosses the Liverpool and Manchester Railway
. It then runs across the north east of Huyton before running west of Knowsley Village
. After meeting the A580
at a split junction (numbered 4 & 5), it continues north west between Fazakerley
and Kirkby
, passes under the Kirkby and Ormskirk branches of the Merseyrail Northern Line
before ending on Switch Island
near Aintree
. The motorway provides one of the main access routes to Aintree Racecourse
.
, the M57 was to be built in stages. The first two opened were:
Phase 1 was proceeded with more rapidly as there had been industrial growth in the area, and it was considered important to improve traffic connections as soon as possible. The original plans for the route anticipated an extension south to the A562
.
At Switch Island, the junction was constructed to allow an extension of the M57 towards the A565
near Thornton and the end of the M58 has provision for slip roads to that extension to be constructed. Contemporary maps also showed a proposed southern extension, eventually constructed in the 1990s as the A5300
. In 2008 plans have now been granted to extend the M57 from "Switch Island" to Thornton via a single track link road.
At the southern end of the M57 where it meets the M62 (Tarbock Island) and also the A5300 southern extension, a £38 million improvement scheme to create a free-flow link with the M62 eastbound was completed on November 14, 2008. At the same junction a free-flow link from the M62 Westbound to the M57 northbound was completed on December 12.
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Designed as a bypass
Bypass (road)
A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, and to improve road safety....
road for Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, it is 14 miles (22.5 km) long and links various towns east of the city, as well as the M62
M62 motorway
The M62 motorway is a west–east trans-Pennine motorway in Northern England, connecting the cities of Liverpool and Hull via Manchester and Leeds. The road also forms part of the unsigned Euroroutes E20 and E22...
and M58
M58 motorway
The M58 is a motorway passing through Merseyside and Lancashire, terminating in Greater Manchester, England. It is 12 miles long and provides a link between the M6 motorway and the area north of Liverpool.-Route:...
motorways.
Route
Starting at the Tarbock Interchange in TarbockTarbock
Tarbock is a village and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, in Merseyside, England. It is situated to the south east of Huyton and to the east of Netherley. The village itself is from Liverpool city centre, from Widnes and from Prescot. The M62 motorway junction 6 is in...
, at the end of the A5300
A5300 road
The A5300 or Knowsley Expressway is a trunk road in Merseyside, England. It runs three miles from its junction with the A562 to its junction with the M62, where it becomes the M57. Along its course it crosses the Liverpool to Manchester Line Southern route.- Naming of the Road :In 1995-96,...
, the motorway heads north to the east of Huyton
Huyton
Huyton is a suburb of Liverpool within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, with some parts belonging to the borough of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. It is part of the Liverpool Urban Area and has close associations with its neighbour, Roby, having both formerly been part of the Huyton with...
and west of Prescot
Prescot
Prescot is a town and civil parish, within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in Merseyside, England. It is 8 miles to the east of Liverpool city centre and lies within the historic boundaries of Lancashire. At the 2001 Census, the population was 11,184 .Prescot marks the beginning of the...
and crosses the Liverpool and Manchester Railway
Liverpool and Manchester Railway
The Liverpool and Manchester Railway was the world's first inter-city passenger railway in which all the trains were timetabled and were hauled for most of the distance solely by steam locomotives. The line opened on 15 September 1830 and ran between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester in North...
. It then runs across the north east of Huyton before running west of Knowsley Village
Knowsley (village)
Knowsley is a large village and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in Merseyside, England. It is more commonly known as Knowsley Village....
. After meeting the A580
A580 road
The A580 is a primary A road in England that connects Walton, near Liverpool and Salford, near Manchester and known officially as Liverpool-East Lancashire Road. Locally, the road is shortened to the "East Lancs". The road was designed and built to provide better access to the Port of Liverpool for...
at a split junction (numbered 4 & 5), it continues north west between Fazakerley
Fazakerley
Fazakerley is a suburb of north Liverpool, Merseyside, England, and a Liverpool City Council Ward. At the 2001 Census it had a population of 15,062...
and Kirkby
Kirkby
Kirkby is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in the metropolitan county of Merseyside in England. The town was developed from the 1950s through 1970s as a means to house the overspill of Liverpool. It is situated roughly north of Huyton, the administrative HQ of the borough and about...
, passes under the Kirkby and Ormskirk branches of the Merseyrail Northern Line
Northern Line (Merseyrail)
The Northern Line is one of the two commuter rail lines operated by Merseyrail in Merseyside, England. The other line is the Wirral Line. A third line of the Merseyrail Network, the City Line, is not owned or operated by Merseyrail, although funded by Merseytravel.The Northern Line passes...
before ending on Switch Island
Switch Island
Switch Island is a road junction south of Maghull and near Aintree in Merseyside, England on the Liverpool rural-urban fringe. The junction is at the western terminus of both the M57 and M58 motorways, which converge on the A59 trunk road, the north-south route from Liverpool...
near Aintree
Aintree
Aintree is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside. It lies between Walton and Maghull on the A59 road, about north of Liverpool city centre, in North West England....
. The motorway provides one of the main access routes to Aintree Racecourse
Aintree Racecourse
Aintree Racecourse is a racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside, England.It was served by Aintree Racecourse railway station until the station closed in the 1960s....
.
History
The M57 was planned to be a complete bypass of Liverpool, meeting each of the main roads out of the city. As is normal in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the M57 was to be built in stages. The first two opened were:
- Junctions 1 to 4 were opened in 1974 as phase 2.
- Junctions 4 to 7 were opened in 1972 as phase 1.
Phase 1 was proceeded with more rapidly as there had been industrial growth in the area, and it was considered important to improve traffic connections as soon as possible. The original plans for the route anticipated an extension south to the A562
A562 road
The A562 is a road in England which runs from Liverpool to Warrington.At Liverpool the road is known at first as Parliament Street, then Upper Parliament Street, Smithdown Road, Allerton Road, Menlove Avenue, Hillfoot Road, Hillfoot Avenue and Higher Road, before joining Speke Boulevard.It ends in...
.
At Switch Island, the junction was constructed to allow an extension of the M57 towards the A565
A565 road
The A565 is a road in England that runs from Liverpool in Merseyside to Tarleton in Lancashire. It is a primary route linking the town of Southport to Liverpool and to Preston ....
near Thornton and the end of the M58 has provision for slip roads to that extension to be constructed. Contemporary maps also showed a proposed southern extension, eventually constructed in the 1990s as the A5300
A5300 road
The A5300 or Knowsley Expressway is a trunk road in Merseyside, England. It runs three miles from its junction with the A562 to its junction with the M62, where it becomes the M57. Along its course it crosses the Liverpool to Manchester Line Southern route.- Naming of the Road :In 1995-96,...
. In 2008 plans have now been granted to extend the M57 from "Switch Island" to Thornton via a single track link road.
At the southern end of the M57 where it meets the M62 (Tarbock Island) and also the A5300 southern extension, a £38 million improvement scheme to create a free-flow link with the M62 eastbound was completed on November 14, 2008. At the same junction a free-flow link from the M62 Westbound to the M57 northbound was completed on December 12.
Junctions
| M57 Motorway | ||
| Northbound exits | Junction | Southbound exits |
| Huyton, Liverpool (Central), Manchester Manchester Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater... , Warrington Warrington Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens... , Widnes Widnes Widnes is an industrial town within the borough of Halton, in Cheshire, England, with an urban area population of 57,663 in 2004. It is located on the northern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form the Runcorn Gap. Directly to the south across the Mersey is the town of Runcorn... M62 |
J1 | Road continues as A5300 A5300 road The A5300 or Knowsley Expressway is a trunk road in Merseyside, England. It runs three miles from its junction with the A562 to its junction with the M62, where it becomes the M57. Along its course it crosses the Liverpool to Manchester Line Southern route.- Naming of the Road :In 1995-96,... to Runcorn and Liverpool Airport Liverpool John Lennon Airport Liverpool John Lennon Airport is an international airport serving the city of Liverpool and the North West of England. Formerly known as Speke Airport, RAF Speke, and Liverpool Airport the airport is located within the City of Liverpool adjacent to the estuary of the River Mersey some southeast... |
| Start of Motorway | Huyton, Liverpool (Central), Manchester, Warrington, Widnes M62 | |
| Prescot, St. Helens St Helens, Merseyside St Helens is a large town in Merseyside, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens with a population of just over 100,000, part of an urban area with a total population of 176,843 at the time of the 2001 Census... A57 A57 road The A57 is a major road in England. It runs east from Liverpool to Lincoln, via Warrington, Cadishead, Irlam, Patricroft, Eccles, Salford and Manchester, then through the Pennines over the Snake Pass , around the Ladybower Reservoir, through Sheffield and past Worksop... |
J2 | Prescot A57 |
| No access | J3 | Huyton A526 |
| St. Helens, Bootle Bootle Bootle is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England, and a 'Post town' in the L postcode area. Formally known as Bootle-cum-Linacre, the town is 4 miles to the north of Liverpool city centre, and has a total resident population of 77,640.Historically part of... A580 |
J4 | Knowsley, Industrial Estates Industrial park An industrial park is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development... A580 |
| No access | J5 | St. Helens A580 |
| Kirkby, Fazakerley A506 | J6 | Kirkby, Fazakerley A506 |
| Liverpool (Central) Southport Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England... , Ormskirk Ormskirk Ormskirk is a market town in West Lancashire, England. It is situated north of Liverpool city centre, northwest of St Helens, southeast of Southport and southwest of Preston.-Geography and administration:... A59 A59 road The A59 is a major road in the United Kingdom that runs from Liverpool in Merseyside, to York in North Yorkshire.-Merseyside:The A59 begins in the centre of Liverpool at the mouth of the Birkenhead Tunnel, and heads north out of the city, first as Scotland Road in Vauxhall, then Kirkdale Road,... Docks Port of Liverpool The Port of Liverpool is the name for the enclosed 7.5 mile dock system that runs from Brunswick Dock in Liverpool to Seaforth Dock, Seaforth, on the east side of the River Mersey and the Birkenhead Docks between Birkenhead and Wallasey on the west side of the river... , Bootle A5036 A5036 road The A5036 is a road in Merseyside, England, which comprises two separate sections separated by a gap of .The northern section is a section of trunk road, travelling from Seaforth through Litherland before terminating at the Switch Island junction in Netherton... Skelmersdale Skelmersdale Skelmersdale is a town in West Lancashire, England. It lies on high-ground on the River Tawd, to the west of Wigan, to the northeast of Liverpool, south-southwest of Preston. As of 2006, Skelmersdale had a population of 38,813, down from 41,000 in 2004. The town is known locally as Skem.The... , Wigan Wigan Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total... , Preston M58 |
J7 Switch Island Terminus |
Start of motorway |