/ News / Changes made to Penwortham Bypass plans

Lancashire County Council has made changes to the detail of the proposed route of the £17.5m Penwortham Bypass, including changing the junction with the A59.

The changes have been made in response to a number of comments made by residents during the public consultation, as well as further traffic modelling for the new road.

The previous proposals suggested a new traffic signal-controlled roundabout connecting the new bypass with the A59 at Howick.

Detailed technical analysis has shown that a simpler traffic signal-controlled junction will make it easier for pedestrians and cyclists to negotiate the junction, and better promote the bypass as the preferred through-route. This design will also reduce the amount of land needed in this area.

At the new road’s junction at Broad Oak roundabout, the number of exit lanes will be increased leaving the roundabout onto Golden Way heading towards Preston. This will help current traffic flow through the junction, while also planning for additional traffic in the future.

The revised plans were approved yesterday (Wednesday 30 March) by County Councillor John Fillis, Cabinet member for highways and transport, and County Councillor Marcus Johnstone, Cabinet member for environment, planning and cultural services.

Phill Wilson, City Deal project manager, said: “The route for the bypass was approved in March last year. Since then we’ve been carrying out detailed design work and further traffic modelling.

“As part of the design work, we’ve listened to the concerns from the public during the public consultation in late 2014 and amended the bypass proposals, which were agreed at the Cabinet Member’s decision making session earlier today.

“The new proposals would see the new bypass continuing from the dual carriageway on the A59, with a traffic signal-controlled junction linking to Liverpool Road.

“This will mean a reduced land take and a simpler crossing arrangement for pedestrians and cyclists. It will also promote the bypass as the obvious choice for through traffic, rather than travelling through the town.

“The more traffic we can take off Liverpool Road, the more we can do through Penwortham to enhance the public realm and prioritise buses, cyclists and pedestrians. In turn these measures will put off drivers using this section of Liverpool Road as a through-route into and out of Preston.

“The proposals will still need to go for planning approval, but this is a step in the process of getting the bypass approved and construction getting underway in summer 2017.”

Discussions are well underway to acquire the land needed for the bypass.

The Penwortham Bypass is a major multi-million pound investment in the road network in South Ribble that will provide extra capacity on the roads and reduce congestion through the town itself, especially at peak times. The bypass is part of the £434m Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal.

For more information about the bypass plans, visit www.lancashire.gov.uk and search for ‘Penwortham Bypass’.

Keep updated on the plans for the bypass and other highway improvement work taking place by following @LancsCityDeal on twitter.

Uncategorised
Read next Spades in the ground for Bamber Bridge ‘super scheme’