Preston Western Distributor: New £207m motorway junction and link road to open today

Edith Rigby Way, the longest and most significant road in the Preston Western Distributor project, will officially open at 11am.

It links the A583 Blackpool Road and Riversway with the new junction – the ‘missing’ junction 2 – on the M55.

The new road is named after Edith Rigby in honour of Preston’s most famous suffragette, who dedicated most of her life to fighting for women's rights.

County Councillor Phillippa Williamson, leader of Lancashire County Council, said: “This opening marks a significant achievement in our ongoing efforts to improve connectivity and access to public transport infrastructure in Lancashire.

“The new road will help to reduce congestion in certain parts of Preston, reduce travel times, open up access to sites for new homes, and unlock opportunities for economic growth and development.

“Thank you to everyone who has been involved in this project, especially during the pandemic. We look forward to seeing the positive impact it will have on Preston and other parts of Lancashire.”

Work on the scheme, which includes two smaller roads, began towards the end of 2019 and took place through the Coronavirus pandemic.

The aim of these three new roads is to reduce congestion on the existing road network and “unlock new economic opportunities for Preston and Lancashire as a whole”.

The scheme includes two smaller link roads, William Young Way and Avice Pimblett Way, which connect to new and existing housing areas of North West Preston and Cottam.

These two roads are named after Victoria Cross recipient William Young, and Avice Pimblett OBE, who was the first woman town councillor, first woman alderman and first woman mayor of Preston.

The new roads provide direct access to new housing in the area and will support further developments in the future.

As well as promoting walking and cycling, the new roads will improve access to the motorway and will also support delivery of a proposed railway station at Cottam.

The new roads have been constructed by Costain, on behalf of Lancashire County Council, as part of the Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal.

Funding for the new road comes from the Department for Transport and the Lancashire Growth Deal, managed by the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership, with further funding coming from Lancashire County Council, National Highways and City Deal.

Mark Rawstron, Chair of the City Deal Executive, said: “The City Deal was a landmark agreement designed to transform Preston and South Ribble through the creation of new jobs and homes.

“The funding from City Deal has been instrumental in enabling growth through the expansion and improvement of transport infrastructure in the region, at scale.

“The Preston Western Distributor is a great example of this strategy in action. It also demonstrates how programmes like the City Deal can complement other funding streams, such as the LEP’s Growth Deal, to bring forward investments which generate significant benefits for the whole of the county.”

City Deal aims to create more than 20,000 new private sector jobs and more than 17,000 new homes built across the area, along with new school places and open green spaces to cater for the growing population.

It is an agreement between the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership and Preston City Council, South Ribble Borough Council and Lancashire County Council, along with central government and Homes England.

The scheme also aligns with the core aims of the Lancashire 2050 framework, which is bringing Lancashire’s 15 councils together with a shared vision, shared ambition, shared goals and shared priorities.

To find out more about the new roads, click HERE.