M6 Junction 20 (Lymm / Thelwall)
This is the busiest measured stretch of the entire M6. Junction 20 is where the M6 meets the M56 for Manchester Airport and North Wales, immediately south of the Thelwall Viaduct over the Manchester Ship Canal.
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Latest accident or incident on the M6
The most recent accident or incident on the M6 that we are aware of.
M6 Northbound and Southbound mobile hardshoulder closure (MP 290/5 - 346/6)
13:2429 Aug 2026reported 2 min ago
- Location
- M6 southbound between J23 and J22
- Direction
- Northbound
- Lanes closed
- Hard shoulder closed
- Reason
- Sweeping of road
- Schedule
- 20:35 Sun 5 Apr → 23:59 Fri 31 Mar 2028
Latest active roadworks on the M6
Roadworks live on the M6 right now.
M6 - M42 link road hardshoulder closure northbound
13:2429 Aug 2026reported 2 min ago
- Location
- M6 southbound between J5 and J4A
- Direction
- Northbound
- Lanes closed
- Hard shoulder closed
- Reason
- Road improvement or upgrading
- Schedule
- 05:00 Mon 3 Aug → 05:00 Mon 7 Sept
+ 2 more active roadworks - search all M6 traffic news →
Latest planned roadworks on the M6
The next planned roadworks scheduled on the M6.
M6 Southbound Jct 40 to 39 Lane 3 closure with Narrow lanes (Mp 459/4 - 455/7)
13:2429 Aug 2026reported 2 min ago
- Location
- M6 southbound within J40
- Direction
- Southbound
- Lanes closed
- Lane closures
- Reason
- Maintenance work
- Schedule
- 06:00 Mon 24 Aug → 20:00 Fri 13 Nov
Forecast - not confirmed
+ 16 more planned roadworks - search all M6 traffic news →
Search all the latest M6 traffic news →
Updated 13:27 Sat 29 Aug
Powered by National Highways’ Transport Data Feeds.
How busy is the M6 at Junction 20?
The Department for Transport counts traffic on this stretch of the M6 — from Junction 20 to Junction 21 spur, a length of 2.5 miles. These are the 2025 figures.
| Measure | Per day |
|---|---|
| All motor vehicles | 187,521 |
| Cars and taxis | 129,006 |
| Lorries (HGVs) | 23,492 — 12.5% of all traffic |
| Length of this stretch | 2.5 miles |
That makes it the 1st busiest measured stretch by total traffic, and the 4th busiest for lorries. It is counted at 99 separate points along its length — see how busy the M6 is junction by junction.
Traffic count figures on this page are from the Department for Transport road traffic statistics, 2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.