The M6 was closed after a major crash left a car hanging off the side of a bridge.
Dramatic images showed the Maserati dangling from the carriageway at Haydock Island, near St Helens, on Sunday morning.
Nobody was seriously hurt but three lanes of the southbound carriageway were closed at junction 23, causing massive delays to other drivers.
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Two people were rescued from the stricken car, and they suffered minor injuries, the Highways Agency said.
At 11.15am on Sunday, a Highways Agency spokesman told HuffPost UK the car had been removed and concrete blocks would be needed to fill the gap it had made when it collided with the barrier at the roadside.
The motorway was expected to return to normal at about 4pm.