Road upgrade funding confirmed

A long-awaited revamp of one of the busiest roads in Central Lancashire is set to get the government funding needed to make it a reality.

The overhaul of the A582 in South Ribble will see a series of key junctions redesigned in order to improve traffic flow on a route that is routinely at a crawl during peak times.

The Department for Transport has committed £57.9m towards the cost of the project – which is a much scaled down version of a previous vision to turn the entire stretch of the route between Lostock Hall and Penwortham into a dual carriageway. The decade-old blueprint for that scheme was effectively abandoned by Lancashire County Council last year after years of funding challenges and increasing costs.

The revised plans revolve around replacing three roundabout junctions with traffic light-controlled interchanges that will use the latest technology to help keep congestion to a minimum.

The twin roundabouts where the A582 meets Croston Road and Centurion Way will be ripped up – and a trio of signal-operated junctions put in their place.

Meanwhile, the roundabout at the junction of Lostock Lane, Farington Road, Stanifield Lane and Watkin Lane – which is already controlled by traffic lights – will be removed and replaced with a crossroads layout, but still led by signals.

The plans – which were subject to a public consultation last summer – also involve a raft of traffic-calming measures along Leyland Road and Watkin Lane, designed to discourage rat-running and promote cycling and walking.     The roundabout at the northern end of Leyland Road will also be reconfigured.

The suite of works, some of which will require planning permission, are dependent on the government giving the green light to a full business case, which will now be submitted.

The estimated cost of the overall scheme stood at £70.7m at the time of the consultation – and the authority had already earmarked £19m in ‘match funding’. When coupled with the money now on the table from the government, that means just under £77m is available to deliver the project.

However, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands a revised cost estimate is now being calculated, which could see the final bill exceed that amount.

At the start of the year, the county council approved the use of £6m of its £19m funding commitment in order to begin work on the development of the full business case and prepare any necessary compulsory purchase orders for land needed along the route.

It did so in spite of the fact that the new Labour government had, at that stage, not formally agreed to foot the majority of the overall bill, pending the conclusion of its departmental spending review.

Lancashire highways bosses said at the time that preparations needed to progress – even at the county council’s own financial risk – in order to achieve key milestones in time for if and when a positive funding decision was reached by ministers.

An outline business case submitted last year had, however, already attracted a positive response – and the previous Conservative government had flagged the A582 as a project that should benefit from the reallocation of transport monies saved by scrapping the northern leg of the HS2 rail line.

DUAL CARRIAGEWAY DEAD END

Plans to create a three-mile dual carriageway along the A582 – between Lostock Lane and Broad Oak roundabout in Penwortham – date back more than a decade.

They were part of the Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal – the £434m government-backed initiative to deliver the roads and other infrastructure needed to build 17,000 new homes and create 20,000 extra jobs in the area.

Some key junctions on the A582 – including at Pope Lane – were widened in readiness for the revamp that was expected to come.

However, by early 2019 – with the Broughton Bypass completed, the Penwortham Bypass progressing and work on the Preston Western Distributor Road under way – the overarching A582 project appeared perpetually stalled.

The scheme was facing what were described by City Deal officials as “budget pressures”, with the need to create a dual carriageway-sized bridge over the West Coast Mainline thought to be one of the biggest financial pressure points.

At around the same time, the future of the project – which, at that point, also included plans to create an extra lane in each direction on the B5253 Flensburg Way, between the ‘tank roundabout’ and Longmeanygate – became integral to a controversial proposal to build 1,100 homes on the Pickering’s Farm site in Penwortham.

Locals and councillors said the road widening was vital in order to accommodate the additional traffic that would be created.

The then South Ribble Borough Council leader, Paul Foster – who is now South Ribble’s MP – said in 2020 that the housing must not be built unless or until the dualling of the A582 was guaranteed.

After an appeal against the council’s refusal of permission for the Pickering’s Farm plans, the government gave the huge estate the go-ahead in November 2023 – just weeks after it had included an upgraded A582 in its ‘Network North’ vision for how to spend money saved by cancelling HS2 north of Birmingham.

However, last summer, Lancashire County Council revealed revised plans for the A582, which swerved a full dualling and instead focused on junction improvements and the use of traffic light technology to reduce the congestion that users of the route so often experience during rush hour.

It is that scheme which is now poised to be realised – 12 years after its more ambitious forerunner was first seriously mooted.

The LDRS approached Paul Foster – who continued to call for the complete dualling of the A582 in the run-up to last year’s general election – for comment on confirmation of the government funding for the alternative proposal.

‘NOW GIVE US A BRIDGE’

Ribble Valley MP Maya Ellis – the tip of whose constituency borders the A582 – welcomed the planned junction upgrades as a boost to her campaign for measures to ease congestion on local routes when accidents block the M6.

However, she is continuing to call for a new road bridge over the Ribble as the ultimate solution to that problem.

The installation of a cross-river link between the Penwortham Bypass and the Preston Western Distributor Road – the route, completed in 2023, that connects Blackpool Road to the M55 – would provide an alternative option when required.

The long-discussed bridge would enable M6 traffic to bypass the motorway between junctions 29 at Cuerden and 32, the Broughton Interchange – without having to take to easily-congested roads in and around Preston, as is currently the case.

As part of their diversion, they would use the soon-to-be-upgraded stretch of the A582 in South Ribble.  If the full dualling of that section is ever delivered, diverted M6 traffic would run on a dual carriageway between the points at which it left and rejoined the motorway.

The possibility of a new Ribble bridge – also supported by Preston MP Sir Mark Hendrick – was referenced in a report by the now defunct Lancashire Enterprise Partnership back in 2016, although it was far from the first time the idea had been floated.

That document stated that if the structure were to get the go-ahead, it would likely be 2026 before work would begin.   However, nearly a decade on – and with the ambitious project no further forward – even that long-term vision has proven too optimistic.

Maya Ellis said of the A582 improvements: “This is a big win for our area.   Residents across Ribble Valley and South Ribble have waited far too long for action on this route.

“When the M6 goes down, everything grinds to a halt. Traffic spills onto small country roads not designed for such volumes, bringing chaos to places like Longridge and Grimsargh. That’s why improving this part of the Preston road network matters so much. The A582 upgrade is a key piece of the puzzle in strengthening local resilience.

“I’m grateful to the officials and ministers who’ve backed this – but that’s only part of the job done. We need strategic improvements that futureproof our region’s infrastructure – and that means a nice new bridge to finish the job,” added Mrs. Ellis.

WHAT’S HAPPENING WHERE?

A582

Flensburg Way/Farington Road/Croston Road/Centurion Way junction

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

The roundabouts will be replaced with three T-shaped signal-controlled junctions, with co-ordinated ‘green wave’ traffic lights along the A582.  Vehicles on the main route will 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 will also detect HGVs approaching the junction, enabling the traffic lights to be sequenced so 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 will be introduced on the A582 itself and three of the connecting roads.

Farington Road/Lostock Lane/Stanifield Lane/Watkin Lane junction

In spite of being redesigned as recently as 2015, long queues are commonplace on all approaches to the junction, particularly the A582 itself on Lostock Lane and Farington Road.

The current signal-controlled roundabout will be removed and a crossroads created, which will still be operated by traffic lights.   On Lostock Lane, between the A6 and Stanifield Lane, an additional westbound lane will be created, together with a new pedestrian crossing on the A582 between Todd Lane South and Old School Lane.

B5254

Leyland Road roundabout 

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

The change will include the introduction of a bus gate which will 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 will only be available by turning right, from the direction of Golden Way.  Meanwhile, motorists exiting the road at that point will have to make a left turn towards Golden Way.

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

The high volume of vehicles currently using the B5254 corridor as a rat-run means bus journeys can be unreliable. The changes therefore include the introduction of new technology that will 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 county council 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.

Specific plans 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.

CUTTING CONGESTION

A spokesperson for Lancashire County Council said confirmation of the government funding for the A582 upgrades marked “an important milestone in our plans to…significantly reduce congestion and improve travel times in this busy part of the county”.

“This project is part of broader plans we are undertaking with our partners, Preston City Council, South Ribble Borough Council and Homes England as part of the Lancashire City Deal, to upgrade the A582 corridor between Preston and the M65, supporting economic growth and providing better amenities for buses, pedestrians and cyclists.

“We submitted a strong business case to the government and have secured £57.9m for the project.

“The county council has already committed up to £19 million towards these improvements and is now moving ahead to finalise development activity and submit a full business case to government. Should this be approved, this will release the government’s funding to allow works to get under way, subject to planning approval being granted.”