Work to build a £ 150 million bypass in Lancashire is progressing well and has received praise from one of the county’s MPs.
Highways England is building a new two lane bypass around Little Singleton and improving the intersections at Windy Harbor and Skippool near Poulton-le-Fylde.
The road connects Fleetwood to the M55 and the new bypass will remove a significant bottleneck and help create new homes and jobs in the area.
With contractor Kier, Highways England has recruited four apprentices, created six graduate positions and worked with 15 local companies.
Fylde MP Mark Menzies visited the construction site on Monday and was led by the project team who briefed him on the project, which is due to open to traffic in 2023.
He heard engineers currently focus on new road layouts at the Skippool and Skippool Bridge intersections, as well as beginning offline work south of Little Singleton to build the bypass road, including a new bridge that will carry Lodge Lane over the new road.
After his visit, Mr. Menzies said: “I was pleased with the considerable progress that has been made after extensive archaeological work.
“I spoke to Keir and Highways England about some of the issues that residents raised with me and I was pleased to hear that these parties are getting involved.
“This road will help improve access to the M55, remove a major bottleneck and create new jobs and housing.
“I was also delighted to hear about the work that will be carried out afterwards to relieve the original road in order to make it safer and slower for local residents.
“In 2023 we will see this project completed, open Preston West Distributor Road in the east of the constituency and complete the M55 link between the M55 and St. Annes.
“All of these projects will give Fylde a huge economic boost and I am delighted that they are progressing so well.”
On Skippool Road, on the approach to the roundabout, United Utilities will divert a large aqueduct carrying water to 36,000 properties in the Poulton-le-Fylde and Fleetwood areas.
This diversion will enable the construction of the realigned motorway and extend the life of the critical water pipes.
Two pipes will be laid over Skippool Road which will increase the resilience of the water supply network and reduce the need for future emergency repairs on the road, making journeys more reliable for drivers.
In order to be able to carry out the work as safely and quickly as possible, the road will be closed for six weeks.
Highways England is working with the local authority to set up appointments for early fall and these will be confirmed in due course.
Stewart Jones, Delivery Director, Highways England, said: “We are making good progress on this project and are motivated by the ultimate goal of better safety, less congestion and disruption, and removing a major bottleneck on the main road to Fleetwood.
“Without these important improvements, traffic and congestion would likely increase and the number of accidents would increase.
“We are aware that the Skippool closure will cause disruption.
“We consulted with the local authority and worked hard to make sure it didn’t take more than six weeks. I want to thank people in advance for their patience. ”
Jonathan Hornsby, Project Manager at Kier Highways, said: “We were delighted to have Mark Menzies MP on the project.
“It confirms how important this major project is for the regional and local economy.
“The work on site is going well, we have already reached some important milestones and the route of the bypass is taking shape.
“It is now good to see around Mains Lane as heavy excavation continues.
“Elsewhere, we have various initiatives underway to help us integrate into the community.
“We want to donate time and construction resources to help local projects, charities, schools or vulnerable groups.
“And we make sure that we minimize our environmental impact on wildlife and habitats.”
The project, which has its own website, is part of the wider work of Highways England across the North West supporting the government’s agenda to level and recover the country from the pandemic.
