Construction begins on the Broughton Bypass

Construction of the Broughton Bypass is officially underway following a ground-breaking ceremony yesterday.

The new road will reduce congestion and pollution in the centre of the village, reducing journey times for people travelling locally and boosting the economy.

Edwin Booth, chair of the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership (LEP), put the first spade in the ground on land next to the A6, just north of Broughton village, to mark the beginning of the works.

He was joined by Jennifer Mein, leader of Lancashire County Council; Peter Rankin, leader of Preston City Council; Margaret Smith, leader of South Ribble Borough Council; and Karl Tupling, NW Director of the Homes and Communities Agency.

The bypass will reduce traffic travelling through the centre of Broughton on Garstang Road by up to 90% by creating a new route from the roundabout at Junction one of the M55 to the A6 north of the village.

The £24M scheme is receiving funding through both the Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal, and the £251M Lancashire Growth Deal. The City Deal will create more than 20,000 new private sector jobs, 17,000 new homes across Preston and South Ribble, as well as new school places, open greenspaces and new health provision to cater for the growing population.

The construction of the Broughton bypass supports a new housing development on the former Whittingham Hospital site, where a development is taking place for 650 homes and 9,000sq m of space for business use. The first phase of the development will see 150 new homes built.

The LEP’s overall country-wide growth programme, which includes the City Deal, will boost the local economy by £3Bn by 2025, creating 50,000 jobs and supporting the building of a total of 40,000 homes.

Edwin Booth, Chair of the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership, said: “The aim of the City Deal is to unlock the economic potential of the area, creating new jobs and making it easier for residents and businesses to get around.

“Our plans include major improvements to the road network, which will encourage new business and housing developments, along with a range of other improvements to local communities as places to live and work.”

The City Deal is an agreement between Lancashire Enterprise Partnership and Preston City Council, South Ribble Borough Council and Lancashire County Council, along with central government and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).

The post Construction begins on the Broughton Bypass appeared first on UK Construction Online.