Lancashire four universities: Lancaster University, the University of Central Lancashire, Edge Hill University and the Lancaster campus of the University of Cumbria. Seven colleges offer higher education courses. The Lancashire economy relies strongly on the M6 motorway which runs from north to south, past Lancaster and Preston. The M55 connects Preston to Blackpool and is 11.5 miles (18.3 km) long. The M65 motorway from Colne, connects Burnley, Accrington, Blackburn to Preston. The M61 from Preston via Chorley and the M66 starting inside the county boundary near Edenfield, provide links between Lancashire and Manchester] and the trans-Pennine M62. The M58 crosses the
M54 motorway the M6), and to the Shrewsbury Flower Show from the east. The road runs west from junction 10A of the M6 motorway near Essington, Staffordshire (Map). It passes south of Featherstone near junction 1 and then north of Bushbury before reaching junction 2. Just before junction 3 with Albrighton the road enters Shropshire. It then passes to the north of Shifnal. Between junction 4 and junction 5, the road passes across the Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury railway line, and through the centre of Telford. Between junctions 6 and 7, the road runs around the south of Wellington before joining the A5