M62 and Scammonden Dam

Scammonden Dam is a multipurpose structure that creates a reservoir and supports a 10km stretch of the M62 motorway, between junctions 22 and 23.

The route, which lies on the area of the Pennines that separates Manchester and Leeds, sped up journey times between Lancashire (now Greater Manchester) and Yorkshire. It now takes just two hours – instead of five - to travel between Liverpool and Hull, for example.

Conditions in the Pennines are some of the harshest in the UK, and it was important to build a route that would be able to stay open in bad weather.

At the time the motorway was planned, Huddersfield Water Authority was looking at a proposal for a dam and reservoir.

The proposal suggested that by sitting the dam on the route of the motorway, across Deanhead Valley, it could be taller than planned at 76m. This would create a larger reservoir.