The motorway, which was first proposed in the 1930s, and conceived as two separate routes, was opened in stages between 1971 and 1976, with construction beginning at Pole Moor near Huddersfield and finishing at that time in Tarbock on the outskirts of Liverpool.

The motorway's origins are found in the 1930s, when the need for a route between Lancashire and Yorkshire had been agreed after discussion by their county highway authorities.

[2] The 1949 Road Plan for South Lancashire identified the need to upgrade the A580 to dual carriageway with grade separation and provide bypasses at Huyton and Cadishead.

[2] By the 1960s, the proposed A580 upgrade to dual carriageway was considered inadequate, and there was an urgent need to link Liverpool to the motorway network.

[3] The route of the Lancashire-Yorkshire motorway was considered inadequate as it failed to cater for several industrial towns in Yorkshire.

[2] When James Drake visited the United States in 1962, his experience of the Interstate Highway System led him to conclude that the Merseyside Expressway, planned to run between Liverpool and the M6, would need to be extended to the Stretford-Eccles Bypass and beyond, to create a continuous motorway between Liverpool and Ferrybridge (a link between Ferrybridge and Hull was not considered until 1964).

In total, two viaducts, ten bridges and seven underpasses were constructed to secure the structural integrity of the surrounding residential areas.

[3] Simultaneously, a contract to link the M6 with Manchester was underway, which required land drainage and the removal of unsuitable earth.

[citation needed] Between Eccles and Pole Moor, 67 motorway crossings were required, including seven viaducts and eight junctions.

[3] Much of the Worsley Braided Interchange was built on undeveloped mossland where deep peat deposits had been covered with waste.

Between Worsley and Milnrow, some underlying coal seams were still actively worked when the motorway was constructed and allowances had to be made to counteract possible future subsidence.

[11] Construction between Windy Hill and Pole Moor was difficult through inhospitable hilly terrain, peat bog, and in undesirable weather conditions.

[12] A notable structure between junctions 21 and 22 on the uphill section towards Windy Hill is the Rakewood Viaduct which carries the road over the Longden End Brook.

The geology of the moors resulted in the engineers splitting the carriageways for 3⁄4 mile (1.2 km) in the middle of this section, sparing Stott Hall Farm from demolition.

[14] The 1-mile (1.6 km) section between Pole Moor and Outlane suffered fewer problems as the summer weather was satisfactory.

[19] The section of the motorway between Gildersome and Lofthouse was built at the same time, resulting in the demolition of a significant proportion of the village of Tingley to build the eponymous interchange.

Completion of the bridge was delayed due to "steel supplies [being] a chronic headache" and a partial collapse of the framework caused by bolts joining a cross-beam to a trestle shearing.

[28][29] The motorway provides a direct link between three of the five largest metro areas in England, and is the most practical route for HGVs and other commercial traffic between Manchester and Leeds.

There are a significant number of warehouses in these urban areas, which require commercial delivery to the ports at Merseyside and around the Humber, all of which are transported via the M62.

[35] Hart was later convicted of ten counts of causing death by dangerous driving, and was sentenced to five years in prison.

[36] On 1 March 2018, a Highways England car fire in severe weather conditions (the beast from the East) caused up to 3,500 vehicles to become trapped on the eastbound Pennine section between junctions 20 and 24.

The military, mountain rescue, fire services and Highways England worked alongside the police through the night to ensure people's safety.

Members of the public who lived in Milnrow and Newhey climbed up onto the motorway with food and drinks for the trapped people in their cars and trucks.

[37][38] In addition to passing Warrington, Manchester, Huddersfield, Halifax, Bradford, Leeds and Wakefield, the towns of Huyton, St Helens, Widnes, Bury, Rochdale, Oldham, Pontefract, Selby and Goole are designated primary destinations along the road.

Despite Hull being listed as a primary destination,[41] the motorway downgrades near North Cave, 16 miles (26 km) to the west.

Owing to the original plan to extend this section of the motorway into Manchester, motorists must turn off to stay on (a TOTSO) the route into Yorkshire.