Geograph - photograph every grid square

The M65 motorway runs for 28 miles, from just south of the major junction of the M6 and M61 motorways near Preston, eastward past Darwen, Blackburn, Accrington, Burnley, Nelson and ends at Colne. One of the original aims of the motorway was to promote the economically declining Calder Valley by connecting it to the motorway network (although a link to the conurbations of Manchester and/or Leeds might have been more appropriate for that purpose).

The first section, connecting Burnley to Brierfield, opened in 1981 with several extensions made over the years until it finally reached the M61 in 1997 when the link from Whitebirk was completed. Much of the 1997 extension was relaid shortly after it opened with a new, quieter tarmac because the amount of road noise had been so great that it prevented birds of prey (mainly owls) from foraging effectively.

The M65 is one of the few motorways in England that is not operated and maintained exclusively by the Highways Agency (the body responsible for the motorways and main trunk roads in England). The section from junction 10, Burnley, to the motorway’s eastern terminus at junction 14, Colne, is operated and maintained by Lancashire County Council.

Link (SABRE) A detailed overview of the origins of the Calder Valley Fast Route, and the obstacles faced in delivering the project.