M62 traffic on the eastbound carriageway in Greater Manchester was disrupted on Tuesday, August 18 after a crash closed two lanes between Junction 11 and Junction 12 at Eccles interchange. The incident was first reported shortly before 6pm, during the evening period when drivers were already moving through a busy stretch of the motorway.
National Highways later said all lanes were open between J11 Risley and J12 M60, but the reopening did not clear the queue immediately. Its final update said there were still 20 minutes of delays on the approach, with 3 miles of congestion.
Junction 11 and Junction 12
The closure covered the eastbound side of the M62 between Junction 11 and Junction 12, the section named in the updates from National Highways and Inrix. Inrix said there was slow traffic because of an earlier accident on the eastbound carriageway between J11 A574 Birchwood Way and J12 M60 J12 at Eccles interchange.
That sequence matters for drivers who were already in the queue: the lanes had reopened before the evening was over, but the build-up remained in place after the crash had cleared shortly before 7pm. Cameras showed traffic queueing in the area as the disruption spread back along the approach.
National Highways final update
National Highways gave the clearest end point for the incident when it said, "Final update: M62 eastbound in Greater Manchester. All lanes are now open between J11 Risley and J12 M60. Current delays of 20 minutes on the approach, with 3 miles of congestion." The update showed that reopening the lanes did not mean normal flow returned straight away.
For drivers heading through this part of the M62, the practical takeaway was simple: the obstruction was gone, but the delay was still live after the lanes reopened. A clear run through the stretch depended on the queue thinning rather than on the incident itself ending.
Inrix on Birchwood Way
Inrix separately described the impact as slow traffic due to an earlier accident on M62 Eastbound between J11 A574 Birchwood Way and J12 M60 J12. Its wording matched the timing of the incident and the later National Highways update, showing that the congestion was still being recorded after the carriageway reopened.
What caused the crash on the M62 eastbound was not stated in the updates, and the final road picture remained the same: two lanes were closed, the incident cleared shortly before 7pm, and delays continued into the evening with 3 miles of congestion.
