TheM55is amotorwayinLancashire,England, which can also be referred to as thePreston Northern Bypass.It connects theseaside resortofBlackpoolto theM6atPreston.It is 12.2 miles (19.6 km) in length.
 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 M55 highlighted in blue Shown with North West England motorway network  Shown with UK motorway network | ||||
 Looking east from Junction 4 | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained byNational Highways | ||||
| Length | 12.2 mi (19.6 km) | |||
| Existed | 1958–present | |||
| History |
| |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| East end | Fulwood | |||
| West end | Blackpool | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United Kingdom | |||
| Counties | Lancashire | |||
| Primary destinations | ||||
| Road network | ||||
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One mile (1.6 km) was originally built in 1958 as part of the UK's first motorway, thePreston Bypass,and the remainder was built in 1975.
Route
editThe M55 has three lanes in both directions for most of its length. After leaving theM6at junction 32, the road immediately interchanges with theA6and then crosses theWest Coast Main Line.It meets theA582extension, built in 2023, at junction 2, then crosses theLancaster Canalbefore passing north ofWeshamto meet theA585at junction 3. It then continues west in a rural setting to meetA583at junction 4, where the motorway ends and becomes theA5230.The western part of the M55, and the first few hundred metres of the A5230, occupy the route of the oldBlackpool Branch railway line.
History
edit- The section from the M6 to junction 1 opened as part of the M6Preston By-passin 1958.
- The section between junctions 1 and 4 opened in 1975.
The first motorway constructed in Great Britain was the M6 Preston Bypass, opened in 1958. This ran from the current M6 junction 29 to the M55 junction 1. It was built as a two-lane route. In 1965 the M6 was extended north from what is the current day junction 32 to meet the Lancaster Bypass,[1][failed verification]and the M6 junction was rebuilt to its current design to connect the A6 at the now M55 junction 1.[2]Due to increasing traffic, it was decided to provide a motorway link to Blackpool and this road was opened in 1975.
Some of the material for backfilling the new M55 was obtained from a nearby disused airfield atRNAS Inskip,[citation needed]where the runways were broken up and the land returned to agriculture. More material came from the Tootle Heights quarries inLongridge.[citation needed]
Junction 2
editUntil 2023, the motorway had no junction 2.[3]A proposed South Ribble link road would have involved the extension of theM65 motorwayaround the west of Preston to link to the M55 at the missing junction. The link road proposal has been dormant since the mid-1990s. Between 1993 and 1995, the M6 around the east of Preston was widened to four lanes, making the link road proposal less likely.
As part of aCity Dealsigned betweenPreston City Counciland central Government in late 2013, bothLancashire County Counciland Preston City Council agreed in principle to build a 'Preston Western Distributor Road' which would link the A583/A584 outsideCliftonto a new junction 2 of the M55.[4][5]
Construction of the new road began in September 2019 and involved a new motorway junction, four new bridges and two viaducts. The £200million scheme was completed in July 2023 and was namedEdith RigbyWay.[6]Moto Hospitalitysubmitted plans toPreston City Councilin December 2024 to build a services station off junction 2.[7]
Incidents
editAircraft test landing
editIn April 1975, during work to extend the motorway, a test was conducted, by test pilot Tim Ferguson, using aJaguarmilitary jet aircraft from nearbyWarton Aerodrometo prove the viability of using the road as a makeshift runway in time of war. The demonstration was not publicised, in the interests of public safety, but many spectators crossed the fields and gathered on the banks at the side of the motorway to watch.[2][8][9]
Junctions
editThe entire route is in the ceremonial county ofLancashire.
| Location | mi | km | Junction | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preston | 0 | 0 | M6 J32[coord 1] |  M6–Manchester,Liverpool,Lancaster
|
Opened 1965 |
| 1.0 | 1.6 | 1[coord 2] |  A6–Preston(N),Garstang
|
Opened 1958, rebuilt 1975 | |
| 3.4 | 5.5 | 2[coord 3] |  A582–Preston(S & W)
|
Opened 2023 | |
| Wesham | 8.1 | 13.1 | 3[coord 4] |  A585–Kirkham,Fleetwood
|
Opened 1975 |
| Blackpool | 12.2 | 19.6 | 4[coord 5] |  A583–Kirkham,Blackpool
|
Opened 1975 |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
- Coordinate list
Junctions 3 and 4 are visual reporting points (VRPs) forgeneral aviationaircraft in the surroundingBlackpool Airportairspace.[10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Route 6 - M6 timeline
- ^ab"UK JET MOTORWAY LANDING | AP Archive".
- ^CBRD Motorway Database - M55
- ^"Preston and Lancashire City Deal - The Key Facts".Preston City Council. Archived fromthe originalon 14 August 2017.Retrieved3 July2023.
- ^"Preston City Deal to build new roads and create thousands of jobs and homes".HM Treasury. 12 September 2013.Retrieved3 July2023.
- ^"Preston Western Distributor and East-West Link Road".
- ^Motorway service station plans for M55.BBC News (2024-12-23). Retrieved 2024-12-26.
- ^https://theaviationgeekclub /vintage-footage-shows-jaguar-attack-aircraft-undertaking-motorway-trials/
- ^Allan Seabridge (January 2025). "Jaguar on the M55".Royal Aeronautical Society,Preston Branch Newsletter(292).
- ^"Visiting by air".Blackpool Airport.Retrieved3 July2023.