Numerous calls have been made over the decades to complete the motorway link between Manchester and Sheffield, the second and ninth most populous urban areas within the United Kingdom.

[9][failed verification] It was to provide a second motorway link across the Pennines to the south of the planned M62 and avoid the Snake and Woodhead passes, which are often closed in snowy weather.

The full proposed route was to start from Manchester city centre at what was the A57(M) motorway eastern terminal roundabout (now a flyover for the A635, constructed in 1995), following the line of the A57 Hyde Road through the inner suburbs of Ardwick, Gorton and Debdale Park.

Large-scale demolition took place along the line of the motorway (which is still evident today), tied in with the widening of the Belle Vue and Reddish Lane junctions.

[citation needed] Beyond the Pennine watershed, the motorway would have continued on a new alignment past the villages of Langsett and Midhopestones, before meeting the route of the current Stocksbridge bypass.

Plans for a road at the eastern end of the M67 passing to the north of the current A628 route past Mottram, Hollingworth and Tintwistle were cancelled in 2009 following four adjournments of the public inquiry due to inconsistencies in the official traffic models.