Work is starting on Wednesday (3 February) to prepare for construction of the roundabout, where the bypass meets the A6 at the northern end of the scheme.
This will involve removing hedgerows, building a new lay-by, and utility companies re-routing pipes and cables. Temporary traffic lights will be in place to help this work be carried out safely.
Similar work will take place on other stretches of the A6, as well as Whittingham Lane and D’Urton Lane over the next 15 months, and people are being asked to prepare for disruption as this work will affect journey times.
The new road will help boost the local economy and create jobs, as well as reduce congestion and pollution in the centre of the village, and improve journey times for people travelling locally.
Scheduled to open in spring 2017, the £24m scheme is receiving funding through both the Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal and the £251m Lancashire Growth Deal.
The City Deal is an agreement between Lancashire Enterprise Partnership, Preston City Council, South Ribble Borough Council and Lancashire County Council, along with central government and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).
County Councillor John Fillis, Cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “There’s going to some temporary disruption while this work is carried out and we hope that people will bear with us over this period.
“There are huge benefits coming to Broughton from the bypass, but as with any major road scheme some inconvenience during construction is unavoidable. We’re working hard to keep this to a minimum.”
The construction work is being carried out by Hochtief (UK) Construction.
Matthew Mosley, project manager from Hochtief, said: “We are looking forward to working closely with Lancashire County Council, the local community and all stakeholders on this essential infrastructure improvement project to reduce congestion in the village of Broughton.”
Construction of the bypass will also support a new housing development on the former Whittingham Hospital site, where approval has been given for a development of 650 homes and 9,000 square metres of space for business use. 150 new homes will be built in the first phase.
The City Deal will help to create more than 20,000 new private sector jobs and see over 17,000 new homes built across Preston and South Ribble, as well as new school places, open green spaces and new health provision to cater for the growing population.
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