Before and after...construction of M65 Motorway, Nelson, Lancashire

[@Shelty47]

Thanks Les for this footage. Brought back memories of my days working for Tarmac Construction building the M5 on Devon/Som. border in the scorching hot summer of 1976. Long hard days but good pay. Happy memories. Thanks again Les.

[@greenfingersgardener822]

M65 travels right through the heart of Pakistan......

[@johnjh9694]

I worked in Nelson whilst construction was taking place - and I recall driving the length of the motorway on the afternoon that it opened (not that it was very far at that point!) I also worked for Tarmac construction in the 70s, Jeffrey Rollings, but that was on the A9 to the north of Pitlochry!

[@a1videotapi188]

I lived at No5 Woodside terrace, near the nottom of the slanted terrace row in the video. My parents live in No3, with Mrs Eileen Thompson at No1. Watched all this destruction take place on a daily basis. Sadly did very little for Nelson except add to the nails already being driven in by the councils year after year to this day. Cheers for the vidoe Les.

[@davidellis5198]

I remember this well at the time I was playing for Nelson Cricket Club. Because the M65 went through the old pavilion, they had a new one built, so they came out of it well.

[@fighting4Justice479]

good video well filmed

[@lordvaderofearth7422]

How easy we forget that the roads of our convenience were built over the playgrounds and homes of our forefathers.....

[@user-pt9mr4ic2e]

Did you know how many ameneties, houses and a hospital to drive through what is no better than a dual carridgeway. This is the same kind of crap as the destruction of Nelson town centre to build the Arndale Centre and the rest of the rubbish that came with it. This was for years the road from nowhere to nowhere but at the time it was hailed as the link between East and West, from the M6 to the M1 and A1 but for some reason they thought that meant Blackburn to Colne?. The North Valley road was cleared at either side for it to be pushed through. Just another pipedream, vanity, early Northern Powerhouse flop. Probably like HS2 will be. All my adult life as a driver I have had to put up with congestion on the North Valley cos the powers that be refuse to modernise traffic flow along it due to politics about bypasses etc. The traffic system there is unchanged from when there was no motorway feeding into it. Since that early time all the land allocated to the through put of the M65 has been built on to the rubbish you see today. That is just what the town council wants , business rates. Most of the employment created along the North Valley involve non skilled minimum wage or zero hours jobs. I bet in 30 years time ,when I am long dead the same crap will be happening on the North Valley and people will grow old wondering why. Just as a PS at the Blackburn end under Blairs government? the origional route was altered to appease tree huggers and greens whose votes Blair relied on to get him in for three terms and beat Thatchers two terms in office. How the people of the Norh suffer and are still suffering for the vanity of a weasel of a man who when he left office made millions after dinner speaking in USA then snout sraight into the EU pig trough for years. Just my honest opinion. Enjoy the future. I am 67 and have seen the sewage rising in the North of England for too long and it is now politically incorrect to do anything about it. Thank Blair for that as well.

[@freddythefox]

I totally agree. The M65 was supposed to bring business and prosperity to Nelson but it never did. It just made it easier to avoid the town altogether. It was also built illegally as there is a covenant on the land preventing the building of any permanent structures.

[@oddities-whatnot]

At least bell ends racing up in the clearly marked right turn only right hand lane towards the BMW dealer cant cut in to the left at the last minute since they put bollards up. Used to bloody hate that. Having to keep within an inch of the car in front to stop impatient twats cutting in.

[@swiftgames5382]

All that beautiful countryside gone😢

[@markgoddard2560]

Never buy a house near an open field. Sooner or later the government will put a road, railway, or nuclear power station there.

[@oddities-whatnot]

or just more housing.

[@williamsimpson8115]

I love this , spend a lot of time on the NLS site tracking old roads and trying to find out what used to be there … Can anyone point me to more motorway building videos

[@carlaclarke6650]

Twas better afore they mucked about

[@BonkeyDollocks]

Fantastic footage. Do you have any more showing Tarmac vehicles?

[@LesCotton60]

+BonkeyDollocks Thanks :) No, sorry, Keith only had this one...found on an old VHS tape

[@BonkeyDollocks]

Not to worry. Many thanks for uploading this footage. Very interesting indeed! :)

[@richardbracewell3678]

Was that not where they built the industrial estate between houses and Victoria park ? Seen the end I was wrong

[@stephenmatura1086]

This is the sectinon between junctions 12 & 13.

[@mikemars5984]

Big improvement

[@Dan23_7]

I work in Nelson delivering 📦 every day. I know exactly where "Woodside terrace" is

[@andrewemery4272]

They missed a bit of Nelson. Never mind, get it next time.

[@keithkitchener6574]

And not a single hard hat or high viz in sight 🤔