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M180 motorway
Road of the United Kingdom
Length	25 miles (40.2 km)
Direction	West - East
Start	Stainforth
Primary destinations	Scunthorpe
End	Elsham
Construction dates	1977 - 1979
Motorways joined	M18 motorway M181 motorway
Euroroute(s)	E 22

The M180 motorway is a short (25 miles (40 km)) motorway in England from junction 5 on the M18 motorway in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster to a point close to Humberside Airport some 5 miles (8.0 km) from the ports of Immingham and Grimsby and the east coast. The road forms part of the unsigned Euroroute E22.

History

Plan of the M180 and A180

Planning and construction

The motorway bypass around Brigg was discussed for many years, but the Flixborough explosion gave it more importance, and was built three years later in 1977 as the second section of the motorway. At this time the A15 ran through Hibaldstow and Redbourne to Brigg, and the junction with the motorway was at Castlethorpe Corner, about 1 mile (1.6 km) east of the current A15 junction on the line of the Roman Ermine Street. The initial, and somewhat diminutive section of the motorway was the short-lived A18(M)^[1] also known as the Tudworth Link, which connected the roundabout junction with the M18 to the A18/A614. The easterly A18(M) sliproad is still used, though the original roundabout at junction 1 has now been replaced by a bridge close to Tudworth Hall Farm. The last section to be built was the Trent viaduct, opened in October 1979 by Kenneth Clarke, despite being 43 weeks late on account of strikes and bad weather.

The motorway is built to dual three-lane standard for most of its duration (aside from a short dual two-lane section past Scunthorpe), and is quite straight and flat.

The M180 has its own spur - the M181. It is somewhat strange that while the M180 has to make do with a roundabout junction with the M18, its spur has a large, freeflowing trumpet interchange. At the start of the M180 are the Doncaster North services, owned by Moto.Doncaster North

A180 extension

It was extended in the 1980s to trunk-road standard as the A180 which is a two lane dual carriageway which continues on to Grimsby and Cleethorpes. In its early planning stages, it was to be named the A18.

The £18 million 6-mile (9.7 km) section from Brigg to Ulceby (A160) was opened on 29 March 1983 by Lynda Chalker, Baroness Chalker of Wallasey, and the £21 million 7-mile (11 km) section from Ulceby to Grimsby opened in late 1983. the road surface of this section is particularly noisy.

The lack of observable landscape features, the flat and straight dimensions of the road, and the hypnotic effect of the concrete surface have helped to make it difficult for some drivers to stay awake whilst at the wheel when tired, or have had not enough sleep. Many of the fatalities on the road have been attributed to drivers being asleep at the wheel.

Junctions

Famous Patrons of the M180

• Gary Hart - Fell asleep on the M62 after driving the entire length of the M180, causing the Selby rail crash, and killing ten people.
• Gaizka Mendieta - was fined for speeding on this motorway after playing in Scunthorpe United player Alex Calvo-Garcia's testimonial match

References

External links

• CBRD Motorway Database - M180
• Pathetic Motorways - M180
• A180 is quietened down.
• UK Motorway Archive.

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