Costain has completed a new £207m road linking parts of Preston and the Fylde to the M55 motorway.
The Preston Western Distributor project opened on Monday morning (3 July) and consists of a brand-new motorway junction, the M55 Junction 2, a dual carriageway and two connecting link roads.
Edith Rigby Way, the longest and most significant road in the project, links the A583 Blackpool Road and Riversway with the new, ‘missing’ Junction 2. It is named after Preston's most famous suffragette.
The work has been delivered on behalf of Lancashire County Council, as part of the Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal.
The highway authority awarded Costain an early contractor involvement contract on the project in 2016 and in 2021, Aggregate Industries won a contract to construct pavement for the scheme.
Andy Clarke, integrated transport director at Costain, said: ‘This transformative scheme has been delivered on time and on budget despite significant engineering challenges and against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic
‘This complex major project will improve people’s lives by reducing congestion on the existing road network, helping communities to thrive and unlocking new economic opportunities for Preston and Lancashire.’
Costain said ecology and nature conservation were important considerations for the project, with the plans designed to restore farmland and to protect and enhance habitats for species including great crested newts, bats, birds, brown hare, hedgehogs and common toads.
It said the project has delivered a net gain in biodiversity of around 10%.
All the soil removed was kept on site and reused for landscaping. Costain said that with other initiatives such as renewable energy use and eliminating diesel across the project, it saved more than the equivalent of 6,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
As well as improving access to the motorway, the new roads provide shared walking and cycling lanes which support the delivery of a proposed railway station at Cottam.
Phill Wilson, project manager at Lancashire County Council, said: ‘Costain has played a vital part in the development, design and construction process for the Preston Western Distributor Project from commencing their involvement in 2016.
‘This project has been an excellent example of how finding the right partner through the Early Contractor Involvement process can produce the cooperative team necessary for such a complex and challenging project.’
