Major road changes planned between South Ribble and Preston

Plans have been unveiled to overhaul a series of junctions on one of the busiest routes between South Ribble and Preston after a previous vision to create a new dual carriageway was abandoned.

A decade-long blueprint to widen the A582 between Lostock Hall and Penwortham was ditched earlier this year in favour of redesigning some of the major pinch points along the often slow-moving section of the road.

As the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) revealed at the time, Lancashire County Council highways bosses said that while the full dualling of the route remained “an aspiration”, changes to travel patterns since the pandemic meant congestion could be reduced in the meantime by reconfiguring key junctions.

The authority is now asking the public for their thoughts on the proposals, which include ripping up the twin roundabouts at the A582’s junctions with Croston Road and Centurion Way and replacing them with traffic lights.

The major roundabout at the junction of Lostock Lane, Farington Road and Stanifield Lane would also go to – be replaced with a traffic light-controlled crossroads.

County Hall is proposing to use the latest traffic management technology to improve the flow of vehicles through the revamped intersections – not only to reduce journey times, but also cut air pollution caused by crawling traffic along the busy route.

In 2022, the public inquiry into now-approved plans to build 1,100 new homes on the nearby Pickering’s Farm site in Penwortham heard that the average evening rush hour speed on the stretch of the A582 between the A6 junction and the ‘tank roundabout’ – where Flensburg Way meets Penwortham Way – is just seven-and-a-half miles-per-hour.

As part of a broader £70.7m package of works to improve travel in the area, a raft of changes – including traffic calming and bus priority measures – is also proposed along Leyland Road and Watkin Lane, the B5254.

It is hoped that the route will see a reduction in rat-running traffic as a result of a more free-flowing driver experience on the A582 – with new and improved pedestrian and cycling facilities being introduced in an attempt to encourage so-called “active travel”.

Meanwhile, at the northernmost edge of the B5254 corridor, the roundabout where Leyland Road links to Golden Way would be converted into a traffic light-operated junction – with bus priority measures introduced and limits on the movements of other vehicles.

Further linked changes are proposed as far as the outskirts of Preston city centre, on Fishergate Hill and Strand Road, and at the M65 terminus as part of the Lancashire Central industrial and retail development at Cuerden.

WHAT’S BEING PLANNED WHERE? 

A582

Flensburg Way/Farington Road/Croston Road/Centurion Way 

Two roundabouts, within yards of each other, currently control traffic where the A582  – Flensburg Way and Farrington Road – meets Croston Road and Centurion Way in Farington.  Queuing traffic is common on the A582 arms at peak times.

The plan is to remove the roundabouts and replace them with three T-shaped signal-controlled junctions, with co-ordinated ‘green wave’ traffic lights along the A582.  Vehicles on the main route would be able to pass through the junctions in one movement, rather than having to stop and give way at two separate points, as under the current layout.

New technology would also detect HGVs approaching the junction, enabling the traffic lights to be sequenced in such a way as to reduce the need for lorries to decelerate. The idea is to improve traffic flow for all motorists, reduce carbon emissions and make it easier for HGVs to access the nearby Lancashire Business Park.

For pedestrians and cyclists, a new signal-controlled crossing would be introduced on the A582 itself and three of the connecting roads.

Meanwhile, access to Fidler Lane would be taken from Croston Road South.

Stanifield Lane/Lostock Lane/Farington Road

This junction was redesigned less than a decade ago, in 2015, but highways bosses say travel habits have changed since – and long queues are commonplace on all approaches, particularly the A582 on Lostock Lane and Farington Road    They believe the situation is likely to worsen with the forthcoming development of the new Lancashire Cricket ground at Farington and the Lancashire Central site at Cuerden.

To that end, the proposal is to remove the current signal-controlled roundabout and replace it with a crossroads, which would still be operated by traffic lights.   On Lostock Lane, between the A6 and Stanifield Lane, an additional westbound lane would be created, together with a new pedestrian crossing on the A582 between Todd Lane South and Old School Lane.

The county council says the suite of changes would provide “more resilience and capacity” on the road network in the area.

B5254

Leyland Road roundabout 

The current roundabout at the northern end of Leyland Road, close to Golden Way, would be converted into a traffic light-controlled junction.

The change would include the introduction of a bus gate which would enable buses to turn left into the southbound section of Leyland Road – coming from the direction of Liverpool Road – as well as to make a right-turn exit from Leyland Road heading north.

For all other vehicles, access to Leyland Road southbound would only be available by turning right, from the direction of Golden Way.  Meanwhile, motorists exiting the road at that point would have to make a left turn towards Golden Way.

However, the county council says other changes it is proposing would mean few vehicles would have to make that movement, as they would have the opportunity to join the A582 earlier at the Strand Road/Guild Way junction.

Highways officials say the aim of the Leyland Road changes is to “encourage the use of the A582 for non-local journeys”.

Leyland Road/Watkin Lane corridor, Lower Penwortham to Lostock Hall

Lancashire County Council says it wants to “discourage through-traffic” along this route by implementing traffic-calming measures and introducing more pedestrian crossings, “to improve road safety and [create] better local environments with fewer speeding vehicles”.

The high volume of vehicles currently using the B5254 corridor as a rat-run means bus journeys can be unreliable. The proposed changes therefore include the introduction of new technology that would give buses priority through junctions and the installation of real-time travel information at bus stops to keep passengers informed about when their service will arrive.

Overall, the authority says the improvements are intended to make the area more attractive and to encourage people to travel by “sustainable” methods, such as walking, cycling or public transport – not least, to help improve air quality in the area.

Specific proposals include:

***improved walking and cycling crossings along Leyland Road;

***creating a dedicated cycleway on Leyland Road between Holme Road and Riverside Road, with a new ‘raised table’ introduced at the latter junction;

***upgrading the bus stops along Leyland Road to create accessible boarding points and shelters;

***providing live information boards at bus stops which show when the next bus will arrive there.

HOW TO HAVE YOUR SAY AND FIND OUT MORE 

Further details of the plans – and an interactive map of the proposed changes – can be found via this link to the Lancashire County Council website.

Residents are invited to fill in the survey here with their thoughts until 21st August.

Two drop-in events are also planned, where officials will be on hand to answer questions.  They are on:

18th July, from 9am until 8pm at St Gerard’s Parochial Centre, Brownedge Road, Lostock Hall, PR5 5AA and

30th July from 9am until 8pm at Gujarat Hindu Society Temple Conference Centre, South Meadow Lane, Preston, PR1 8JN.

WHERE’S THE MONEY COMING FROM?

Plans to turn the 3.2-mile stretch of the A582 – between the Stanifield Lane roundabout in Lostock Hall and the Broad Oak roundabout in Penwortham – into a dual carriageway were first mooted more than 10 years ago.

Several major junctions were widened during the latter half of the 2010s in preparation for the dualling project.

Funding for the full scheme was expected to be delivered as part of the Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal, but has never materialised.

Last year, it emerged that the route was in line for cash from the ‘Network North’ initiative, under which the last government pledged to fund transport projects across the North and Midlands with the money saved by scrapping the HS2 rail line beyond Birmingham.

As the LDRS revealed in March, Lancashire County Council has now opted to bid for a share of that funding on the basis of a project which would see several junctions along the A582 upgraded, rather than the road converted to a dual carriageway.

It is estimated that the revised option – which includes proposed changes on the outskirts of Preston city centre and at the M65 terminus – will cost almost £71m and County Hall’s cabinet has agreed a £19m contribution from the authority.

County Councillor Aidy Riggott, cabinet member for economic development and growth, said of the launch of the public consultation: “These proposals would represent a significant investment in our local infrastructure, with the aim of helping people to get around by improving the A582 and other local roads, providing more options for people to walk, wheel and cycle.

“A significant investment in the road network will also support the creation of new jobs and deliver economic growth in this area.

“Please help us to shape these proposals during the consultation process, which will help us to prepare a stronger bid to government to bring this funding to Lancashire, which will benefit local journeys, businesses and local people.”