Road overhaul to start months ahead of schedule

Work on a major road project in Lancashire is set to begin within weeks after councillors brought forward preparations for the scheme using local funding.

Enabling works between South Ribble and Preston, on the £77.3m overhaul of the A582 between Lostock Hall and the M65 "tank roundabout" at Farington Moss are expected to start this autumn.

The move puts part of the project more than six months ahead of schedule, despite the government yet to give final approval to the majority of the funding package.

Councillor Warren Goldsworthy said the accelerated plans showed that Lancashire County Council was "committed to bringing forward growth and investment" and the authority "can deliver" against its ambitions.

The decision means the council will begin preparatory work before submitting the scheme's full business case to the government next spring.

Cabinet members approved a further £7m from previously committed county council funding to pay for the early phase, with senior officers also agreeing an additional £6m if required.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the enabling works will focus on three areas earmarked for larger upgrades as part of the wider South Ribble Western Distributor scheme.

At the M65 terminus roundabout, work will include reshaping the junction and attenuation pond, alongside new landscaping, drainage and ditch infrastructure.

Utility diversions will be carried out at the A6 and A582 junction at Lostock Lane, while traffic-calming and road safety measures are planned on routes around the B5254 corridor between Lostock Hall and Penwortham.

The council said bringing the preparatory work forward would minimise disruption once the main construction phase begins.

A report presented to cabinet members said the early investment would also send "a clear message" to developers and investors that there was confidence in delivering the Lancashire Central development, which is planned on land between Wigan Road and Stanifield Lane.

The wider highway scheme is designed to reduce congestion on the often slow-moving A582 corridor and unlock access to the proposed mixed-use development.

The main construction phase is expected to begin in summer 2027, subject to government approval of the project's full business case.

That work would include a significant redesign of junctions along the A582, including the removal of the double roundabout where Flensburg Way, Farington Road, Croston Road and Centurion Way meet.

The plans also include changes to the M65 terminus roundabout, upgrades at the A6 Lostock Lane junction, improvements for buses, pedestrians and cyclists, and traffic-calming measures aimed at preventing nearby routes being used as rat runs during construction.

The Department for Transport provisionally earmarked £57.9m for the project in July 2025, with Lancashire County Council contributing the remainder of the funding.

Councillor Brian Moore described the associated Lancashire Central development, development, set to create 174,000 sq m of industrial, storage, office and retail space; as one of the county's most significant growth opportunities, saying the transport improvements were "a vital part of unlocking its potential".

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