1971

1970 1972
Motorway chronology map
Route Open Junctions Section
1 M6 Feb 1971 J4-5 Maxstoke → Bromford
2 M62 Feb 1971 J27-29 Gildersome → Lofthouse
3 M5 Mar 1971 J9-13 Tewkesbury → Moreton Valence
4 M9 Apr 1971 J10-11 Stirling Bypass Stage I
5 M8 May 1971 J2-3 Newbridge → Dechmont
6 M3 Jun 1971 J3-8 Lightwater → Popham
7 M6 Jul 1971 J2-4 Ansty → Maxstoke
8 M6 Jul 1971 J41-42 Penrith → Carlisle
9 M56 Sep 1971 J11-14 Preston Brook → Hapsford
10 M6 Nov 1971 J5-6 Bromford → Gravelly Hill
11 M6 Nov 1971 J0-2 Catthorpe → Ansty
12 M602 Nov 1971 J1-2 Eccles Bypass
13 M62 Nov 1971 J22-23* County Boundary → Pole Moor
15 M20 Dec 1971 J3-5 Ditton Bypass
16 M4 Dec 1971 J14-18 Wickham → Tormarton
17 M4 Dec 1971 J10-14 Winnersh → Wickham
18 M5 Dec 1971 J13-15 Moreton Valence → Filton
19 M4 1971 J9-10 Holyport → Winnersh
20 M8 1971 J16-17 Glasgow IRR, Woodside section
1970 1972

Select a year

                1958 1959
1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014          

In this section

What's new

Imperfectly Odd: Batheaston Bypass

It has viaducts, a tunnel and plenty of controversy, but the amazing Batheaston Bypass doesn’t really work. What went wrong?

South London's lost motorways

Completing the story of London's epic Ringways, we've just published the Southern Radials, five more motorways that never saw the light of day.

To the north east!

Two new additions to our collection of Opening Booklets take us to Darlington and Middlesbrough.

Share this page

Have you seen...

The Heads of the Valleys

The A465 Heads of the Valleys Road is one of the most spectacular trunk roads in the UK, and building it required some of the most remarkable civil engineering. This is the story of how the road was built in the 1960s, and how it's being rebuilt today.