Edith Rigby Way: A year on from city’s £207m road opening

Edith Rigby Way: A year on from city's GBP207m road opening | Blog PrestonBlog Preston[1]Menu

Edith Rigby Way: A year on from city's GBP207m road opening

Posted on - 15th July, 2024 - 7:00am | Author - Ed Walker | Posted in - Ashton-on-Ribble, Cottam, Ingol, Lea, Politics, Preston News, Roads, Transport, Woodplumpton[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]

It's a year since the Edith Rigby Way opened to connect Preston Docks to the M55 - without needing to go through Preston itself. Costing more than GBP200million[12] and taking four years to build - after nearly 10 in the design-phase - the road also has spurs running off to connect into Cottam ahead of further new housebuilding. The road, originally known as the Preston Western Distributor[13], was opened on Monday 3 July last year[14] and also means there is now a Junction 2 on the M55.

Lancashire County Council says the new road is being used by more than 15,000 motorists-a-day. Cabinet member for economic development and growth county councillor Aidy Riggott said: "A recent traffic count on Edith Rigby Way, towards the motorway junction showed that 17,000 vehicles use it each weekday with more than 100,000 vehicles in total using the road each week, including weekends. "We're clear that the new road was built to improve journey times and reduce through-traffic on nearby local and residential roads, while also supporting current and future housing growth."

Easing of M55 overnight closures

A spokesperson for National Highways North West said: "We have yet to carry out analysis on the new junction but are confident it is operating as expected and is helping to support significant economic and housing growth in the local area.

"The addition of the new junction has also meant benefits for ourselves and drivers in terms of delivering junction-to-junction overnight maintenance, repairs and improvements - halving the extent of any overnight carriageway closures which previously had to run all the way between junction 1 and junction 3 [of the M55], some seven miles."

Pressure on infrastructure

The new road is due to mean a new railway station can be connected at Cottam[17] and has been the catalyst for further housebuilding in the area[18]. There have also been reports of flooding[19] as a result of the new road on underpasses and cycle lanes near Edith Rigby Way and the link roads.

However a councillor representing the area says the lack of community facilities[20] has been hampered by the apparent over-spend on the new road compared to its budget. Councillor Neil Darby, who represents the Ingol and Cottam ward the road runs through, said: "The last few years have been very difficult in Cottam with numerous and often overlapping roadworks, road closures and temporary traffic lights popping up in various different locations. "However, Edith Rugby Way has been a bright spot, giving Lea Town and Cottam better access to Ashton and the Docks, as well as to the motorway network.

"It is a tragedy, however, that cost overruns on the building of the road seem to have had a knock-on effect in the funding of other vital infrastructure that we need in the North West of Preston: most notably schools, where we still have a shortage of places that is having a real impact on local families. I hope that Lancashire County Council will listen to local residents and councillors and help make up the shortfall urgently."

Addressing speeding issues

A number of link roads connecting to Edith Rigby Way are due to see their speed limits cut. Lea Lane currently has a 40mph speed limit - but will see it fall to 30mph based on the county council's plans.

Documents released by the county council say 40mph is 'no longer considered a safe or appropriate limit, given the new nature of this road'. No date has been given for when the change will come into force. There was confusion when the Preston Western Distributor opened as it had originally been set as national speed limit but was later dropped to 50mph on opening[21].

A Freedom of Information request by Blog Preston showed only 17 people had been caught speeding[22] on the new road since it opened (up until 1 June this year). The highest speed recorded by a speeding driver by Lancashire Police was 75mph.

The road to, a new Ribble crossing?

A long-held ambition - and way to potentially ease motorway congestion in the city - is the establishing of a new bridge across the River Ribble downstream from Preston Docks[23]. The Preston Western Distributor, as well as the Penwortham Bypass, were seen as key moments in working towards this.

No timescale has been given[24] for when the new bridge may be achieved. County cllr Riggott said: "A new Ribble crossing remains an aspiration and a feasibility study was undertaken funded by the Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal. "A crossing is feasible, but the scale of the cost would require substantial funding from central government.

We continue to monitor funding opportunities as and when they become available." Do you use the Preston Western Distributor? What do you think of the new road?

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