The M61 is a motorway in North West England between Manchester and Preston, linking the M60 Manchester Orbital Motorway with the M6 Midlands-to-Scotland motorway. It runs from the A580 near Wardley and heads northwest past Bolton, Horwich and Chorley to join the M6 near Bamber Bridge, just north of the junction between the M6 and M65. It runs parallel to the A6, to its northeast, for the entirety of its length, essentially bypassing the towns and villages the A6 runs through between Manchester and Preston.