M6 Northbound Traffic
If you are heading north on the M6 — towards Stoke, Manchester, Preston, Lancaster, Carlisle or the Scottish border — this page covers your side of the motorway. Traffic on a motorway is rarely the same in both directions, and neither is the news.
Heading the other way? See M6 southbound traffic »
Search all the latest M6 traffic news
Latest accident or incident on the M6 northbound
The most recent accident or incident on the M6 northbound that we are aware of.
Latest active roadworks on the M6 northbound
Roadworks live on the M6 northbound right now.
M6 - M42 link road hardshoulder closure northbound
05:02 (5:02am)23 Oct 2026reported 4 min ago
- Location
- link road from M6 J4A southbound to M42 J8 southbound
- Direction
- Northbound
- Lanes closed
- Hard shoulder closed
- Reason
- Road improvement or upgrading
- Schedule
- 05:00 (5am) Mon 5 Oct 2026 → 05:00 (5am) Mon 2 Nov 2026
+ 3 more active roadworks - search all M6 traffic news →
Latest planned roadworks on the M6 northbound
The next planned roadworks scheduled on the M6 northbound.
M42 northbound Jct 6 to Jct 9 carriageway closure
05:02 (5:02am)23 Oct 2026reported 4 min ago
- Location
- link road between M42 J7A northbound and the M6 J4 southbound
- Direction
- Northbound
- Lanes closed
- Carriageway closed
- Reason
- Construction work
- Schedule
- 20:00 (8pm) Fri 23 Oct 2026 → 06:00 (6am) Mon 26 Oct 2026
Forecast - not confirmed
+ 15 more planned roadworks - search all M6 traffic news →
Road closed — on the overhead signs now
National Highways’ overhead signs are showing a road closure, as at 05:07 (5:07am) Fri 23 Oct 2026. 2 other serious messages are on the signs - see them all below.
M6 J4-J4A closed
Time now: Friday, 23 October 2026, 05:07 (5:07am)05:01 (5:01am)23 Oct 2026set 6 min ago✓ Checked by us 05:07 (5:07am)
M6 J4-J4A
CLOSEDOverhead Message
WhereM6 northbound, J1 to J3 · on 9 signsAlso onAlso showing on M5, M40, M42, M1, M69, A46 and A14 signsSinceOn the signs since at least 20:55 (8:55pm) Thu 22 Oct 2026We check these overhead signs at least every five minutes, but we can't guarantee a sign is still current if an incident or issue has been cleared and the sign has not been updated yet. Signs and news can each carry something the other does not - check both before you travel.
Search all the latest M6 traffic news
Updated 05:07 (5:07am) Fri 23 Oct 2026
Powered by National Highways’ Transport Data Feeds.
How Busy Is the M6 Northbound?
The Department for Transport counts the M6 separately in each direction, at 60 northbound count points out of 181 directional counts in total. The busiest northbound stretch is Junction 20 to Junction 21 spur, carrying 93,810 vehicles a day northbound on its own.
| Stretch (northbound) | Vehicles per day | Lorries |
|---|---|---|
| J20 to J21 spur | 93,810 | 11,378 |
| J30 to J31 | 87,988 | 6,836 |
| J6 to JLA boundary | 85,983 | 11,158 |
| J9 to J10 | 84,448 | 14,120 |
| J31 to J31A | 79,234 | 6,161 |
| J10 to J10A | 75,944 | 9,708 |
| J24 to J25 | 73,153 | 6,955 |
| J17 to J18 | 70,113 | 10,439 |
© M6Traffic.co.uk · Statistics from the Department for Transport
These are one-direction figures. For both carriageways combined see how busy the M6 is junction by junction.
Northbound Against Southbound: What Our Own Data Shows
The Department for Transport's counts above show the M6 carries almost the same traffic in each direction; on its busiest stretch the gap is under a hundred vehicles a day. The difference between north and south is when the traffic slows. Our own record of National Highways' live speeds for Monday 12 to Friday 16 October 2026 shows that northbound, the worst of it comes in the evening through Birmingham: between Junctions 5 and 7, northbound traffic averaged 34 to 39 mph in the 15:00 to 19:00 peak, as commuters leave the city. In the morning the northbound side there is quicker, at 44 to 50 mph. The exception is Preston, where northbound traffic between Junctions 30 and 31A slows to around 39 to 46 mph in the morning peak. Between 9 and 16 October, National Highways reported 29 incidents northbound and 29 southbound on the M6, so neither direction stood out.
| Stretch (northbound) | Morning peak 06:00–10:00 | Evening peak 15:00–19:00 | Minutes of stop-start, whole week |
|---|---|---|---|
| J4 to J4A | 49 mph (usual 46) | 49 mph (usual 50) | 120 (2 hours) |
| J4A to J5 | 46 mph (usual 47) | 46 mph (usual 49) | 100 (1.67 hours) |
| J5 to J6 | 44 mph (usual 50) | 39 mph (usual 45) | 655 (10.92 hours) |
| J6 to J7 | 50 mph (usual 50) | 34 mph (usual 37) | 835 (13.92 hours) |
| J7 to J8 | 50 mph (usual 51) | 42 mph (usual 42) | 25 |
| J8 to J9 | 41 mph (usual 38) | 35 mph (usual 33) | 115 (1.92 hours) |
| J9 to J10 | 50 mph (usual 51) | 47 mph (usual 50) | 30 |
| J10 to J10A | 56 mph (usual 53) | 56 mph (usual 55) | 10 |
| J10A to J11 | 59 mph (usual 58) | 61 mph (usual 59) | 0 |
| J11 to J11A | 57 mph (usual 57) | 59 mph (usual 58) | 335 (5.58 hours) |
| J11A to J12 | 62 mph (usual 63) | 63 mph (usual 64) | 15 |
| J12 to J13 | 63 mph (usual 61) | 66 mph (usual 64) | 75 (1.25 hours) |
| J13 to J14 | 63 mph (usual 59) | 65 mph (usual 65) | 0 |
| J14 to J15 | 62 mph (usual 59) | 57 mph (usual 60) | 190 (3.17 hours) |
| J15 to J16 | 61 mph (usual 61) | 62 mph (usual 61) | 140 (2.33 hours) |
© M6Traffic.co.uk · Our own record of National Highways’ live speed data (NTIS), Monday 12 to Friday 16 October 2026, averaged over the weekdays; “usual” is National Highways’ own expected speed for that hour. Stop-start means readings under 15 mph over at least 400 metres. One week of readings: we will add more weeks as they are collected.
| Type | Northbound | Southbound |
|---|---|---|
| Collisions | 17 | 15 |
| Broken-down or stopped vehicles | 10 | 14 |
| Other obstructions | 2 | 0 |
| All | 29 | 29 |
© M6Traffic.co.uk · Our own record of National Highways’ incident reports, from 9 October 2026 (when our recording started) to 16 October 2026.
National Highways’ live readings north of Junction 16 are patchier, so this table covers Junctions 4 to 16, where we have the most complete record.
Traffic count figures on this page are from the Department for Transport road traffic statistics, 2025.