M6 Junction 31A: Haighton Interchange – B6242 Preston
Junction 31A of the M6, known as the Haighton Interchange, is where the M6 meets the B6242 / B6243, for Preston / Longridge. The nearest city is Preston, about 2.6 miles to the south-west, with Longridge (4 miles north-east) and Penwortham (4 miles south-west) also close by. Villages right beside the junction include Grimsargh and Samlesbury.
Roads that meet at or beside this junction: B6241, B6242, B6243. The main road at the junction is the B6242.
From here, the drive north to junction 32 (Broughton) is about 1.8 miles and the drive south to junction 31 (Samlesbury) is about 1.6 miles. Junction 31A is about 121 miles from the start of the M6 at junction 1 and 90 miles from the end at junction 45.
- Junction M6 J31A · Haighton Interchange
- Signed for B6242 / B6243 · Preston (east) / Longridge
- Nearest town Preston, 2.6 miles south-west
- Map section Section 5: J21A–J32, Wigan to Preston
Live traffic at M6 junction 31A
The speed strip below shows the M6 from junction 30 to junction 33, both directions, from National Highways’ live data, checked every five minutes.
Live traffic speed flow: M6 Junctions 30 to 33
Untick all three to see just the speeds. We show the important overhead signs and the mandatory speed limits (red ring); see every overhead sign.
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How busy is the M6 at junction 31A?
The Department for Transport counts traffic on the stretches either side of this junction. On the stretch it labels J31 to J31A it counted 158,691 vehicles a day in 2025, 8% of them lorries. On the stretch it labels J31A to J32 it counted 142,912 vehicles a day in 2025, 8% of them lorries. See how busy the M6 is junction by junction.
| Stretch (DfT label) | All vehicles a day | Lorries | Miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| J31 to J31A | 158,691 | 12,702 (8.0%) | 1.9 |
| J31A to J32 | 142,912 | 11,442 (8.0%) | 1.8 |
© M6Traffic.co.uk · Statistics from the Department for Transport, 2025
Junctions either side
- J31Samlesbury InterchangeA59 · Samlesbury / PrestonNearest town: Preston, 2.6 miles
- J32Broughton InterchangeM55 · Broughton / Preston (north)Nearest town: Preston, 3.2 miles
Live traffic news at M6 Junction 31A
Incidents and roadworks between Junction 30 and Junction 32 that we are aware of.
M6 Southbound Junction 33 to 31A Lane 3 closure (357/7B to 354/7B)
00:305 Oct 2026reported 17 min ago
- Location
- M6 southbound within J32
- Direction
- Southbound
- Lanes closed
- Lane closures
- Reason
- Roadworks
- Schedule
- 20:00 Sun 4 Oct 2026 → 06:00 Mon 5 Oct 2026
Forecast - not confirmed
+ 2 more near Junction 31A - see all the M6 traffic news →
This is the news for Junction 31A only, not the whole M6. For the rest of the motorway see all the latest M6 traffic news, the overhead signs and the speed limits in force now.
Updated 00:47 Mon 5 Oct 2026