The M60 will close completely anti-clockwise at Salford this evening for ‘emergency repairs’ to be carried out.
Highways England had warned drivers that two lanes will be closed between junctions 16 and 14 - before confirming plans to close the whole motorway.
Traffic was at a standstill in the area stretching back to junction 18.
The closure is expected to last overnight.
When contacted by the Manchester Evening News a spokesman for Highways England was unable to confirm why they were carrying out the repairs.
At around 4.30pm this afternoon Highways England tweeted: “We had to put in a stop on traffic to put out a 2 lane closure between J16 and J14 so we can carry out some emergency road repairs.
“Sadly the repairs need to be done now, apologies for the inconvenience. Traffic has been released but only 1 lane open.”
It went on to say that the repairs could not be deferred, and that there is ‘no access to J15 or J14 from the M60 anti-clockwise’.
In response to a Twitter user asking how long the closure would be in place, Highways England replied: “The lane closures will remain in place for the remainder of the evening. The emergency resurfacing will be carried overnight and we’ll be closing the road fully J16-J14 later tonight - approx 8pm.”
