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Preston Bypass
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Preston Bypass
The Preston Bypass was the United Kingdom's first motorway, opened in 1958. It was designed and engineered by Lancashire County Council surveyor James Drake as part of a larger initiative to create a north–south motorway network that would later form part of the M6 motorway. The original 8+1⁄4-mile (13.3 km) motorway ran around the east side of Preston between Bamber Bridge (now the M6 junction 29) and Broughton (now the M55 junction 1) and crossed over the River Ribble at Samlesbury at the M6 junction 31.
Planning started in 1937, despite the lack of legal powers permitting motorway construction until the introduction of the Special Roads Act 1949. Early work was hampered by heavy rainfall, resulting in the postponement of various heavy engineering works, such as the base foundation; the result of the weather meant the original two-year plan was delayed by a further five months. The bypass was opened on 5 December 1958 by the then Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan. Nearly £3 million was spent on its construction. Weeks after opening, the road had to close temporarily due to water causing other problems when the base layer was damaged by a rapid freeze and thaw cycle.
The bypass underwent two separate lane-widening schemes, first in 1966 when it was widened to three lanes, then in the 1990s to expand to four lanes in each direction. The latter upgrade was significant enough to require reconstruction of the entire route, including all bridges, and it is now effectively a different motorway from the one that opened in 1958. As a result, the oldest surviving British motorways today are the M1 (between junctions 5 and 18) and the full length of the M45 which both opened one year after the Preston Bypass.
Before the motorway was constructed, the A6 through Preston handled north–south traffic, leading to frequent tailbacks and congestion, especially during special events like the Blackpool Illuminations. Planning for the route began as early as 1937–1938, and by the mid-1940s, Lancashire County Council still deemed the basic alignment feasible. In 1938, Chief Engineer James Drake was part of a delegation from Lancashire that travelled to Germany to gather insights for the plan. The proposed route was incorporated into the County Surveyors' Society's national proposals and was subsequently protected by Lancashire County Council from future developments.
At the time, the legal framework for motorway construction was lacking until the introduction of the Special Roads Act in 1949, which permitted the building of roads designated for specific classes of vehicles. The bypass was seen as an experiment for future motorway construction, providing valuable lessons and techniques that would contribute to the success of future projects. When the proposals were made public, including a large-scale model to ease explanation, only a handful of formal objections were raised. These were resolved amicably, largely due to the close involvement of Lancashire County Council and the surveyor during the consultation process, eliminating the need for a public inquiry.
The Tarmac Group won the construction contract in 1956, which included the building of 19 bridges. John Cox was appointed as the onsite engineer to oversee the construction.
The road was originally built with two lanes in each direction and a wide central reservation to accommodate a future third lane. The compromise between the Ministry of Transport and Drake arose from concerns that two lanes would be inadequate. Initially, the shoulders were hardened with gravel but unpaved, reflecting the British term "hard shoulder". A hedge was planted along the central reservation to help reduce dazzle from oncoming headlights at night. To combat driver boredom, the design included curves, various bridges and tree planting, avoiding long, straight stretches.
During early construction, some land was unavailable due to 75 agreements with landowners, including clauses allowing farmers to complete their harvests before work began. The initial plan for the embankments had to be adjusted; excessive rainfall rendered the earth unsuitable, leading to the importation of hundreds of thousands of tons of hard fill from around Lancashire. Earth-moving works could only be done efficiently from March to June, while conditions from July to October would be too sodden and impossible during winter. In total, 3,400,000 tonnes (3,300,000 long tons) of earth was excavated, with a further 668,000 tonnes (657,000 long tons) of material imported for filling. The sub-base consisted of burnt colliery shale with thickness dependent upon the ground conditions, followed by a layer of wet mix around 9 inches (23 cm) thick and topped with 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.5 cm) of tarmac lined with 0.5 to 1 inch (1.3 to 2.5 cm) of asphalt. The unexpected discovery of a bog in the Ribble valley also required removal. The project involved constructing 22 bridges, for which designers had considerable creative freedom. Drake proposed painting the bridges in various colours to enhance aesthetics and reduce driver monotony, a suggestion that was well received.
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Preston Bypass
The Preston Bypass was the United Kingdom's first motorway, opened in 1958. It was designed and engineered by Lancashire County Council surveyor James Drake as part of a larger initiative to create a north–south motorway network that would later form part of the M6 motorway. The original 8+1⁄4-mile (13.3 km) motorway ran around the east side of Preston between Bamber Bridge (now the M6 junction 29) and Broughton (now the M55 junction 1) and crossed over the River Ribble at Samlesbury at the M6 junction 31.
Planning started in 1937, despite the lack of legal powers permitting motorway construction until the introduction of the Special Roads Act 1949. Early work was hampered by heavy rainfall, resulting in the postponement of various heavy engineering works, such as the base foundation; the result of the weather meant the original two-year plan was delayed by a further five months. The bypass was opened on 5 December 1958 by the then Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan. Nearly £3 million was spent on its construction. Weeks after opening, the road had to close temporarily due to water causing other problems when the base layer was damaged by a rapid freeze and thaw cycle.
The bypass underwent two separate lane-widening schemes, first in 1966 when it was widened to three lanes, then in the 1990s to expand to four lanes in each direction. The latter upgrade was significant enough to require reconstruction of the entire route, including all bridges, and it is now effectively a different motorway from the one that opened in 1958. As a result, the oldest surviving British motorways today are the M1 (between junctions 5 and 18) and the full length of the M45 which both opened one year after the Preston Bypass.
Before the motorway was constructed, the A6 through Preston handled north–south traffic, leading to frequent tailbacks and congestion, especially during special events like the Blackpool Illuminations. Planning for the route began as early as 1937–1938, and by the mid-1940s, Lancashire County Council still deemed the basic alignment feasible. In 1938, Chief Engineer James Drake was part of a delegation from Lancashire that travelled to Germany to gather insights for the plan. The proposed route was incorporated into the County Surveyors' Society's national proposals and was subsequently protected by Lancashire County Council from future developments.
At the time, the legal framework for motorway construction was lacking until the introduction of the Special Roads Act in 1949, which permitted the building of roads designated for specific classes of vehicles. The bypass was seen as an experiment for future motorway construction, providing valuable lessons and techniques that would contribute to the success of future projects. When the proposals were made public, including a large-scale model to ease explanation, only a handful of formal objections were raised. These were resolved amicably, largely due to the close involvement of Lancashire County Council and the surveyor during the consultation process, eliminating the need for a public inquiry.
The Tarmac Group won the construction contract in 1956, which included the building of 19 bridges. John Cox was appointed as the onsite engineer to oversee the construction.
The road was originally built with two lanes in each direction and a wide central reservation to accommodate a future third lane. The compromise between the Ministry of Transport and Drake arose from concerns that two lanes would be inadequate. Initially, the shoulders were hardened with gravel but unpaved, reflecting the British term "hard shoulder". A hedge was planted along the central reservation to help reduce dazzle from oncoming headlights at night. To combat driver boredom, the design included curves, various bridges and tree planting, avoiding long, straight stretches.
During early construction, some land was unavailable due to 75 agreements with landowners, including clauses allowing farmers to complete their harvests before work began. The initial plan for the embankments had to be adjusted; excessive rainfall rendered the earth unsuitable, leading to the importation of hundreds of thousands of tons of hard fill from around Lancashire. Earth-moving works could only be done efficiently from March to June, while conditions from July to October would be too sodden and impossible during winter. In total, 3,400,000 tonnes (3,300,000 long tons) of earth was excavated, with a further 668,000 tonnes (657,000 long tons) of material imported for filling. The sub-base consisted of burnt colliery shale with thickness dependent upon the ground conditions, followed by a layer of wet mix around 9 inches (23 cm) thick and topped with 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.5 cm) of tarmac lined with 0.5 to 1 inch (1.3 to 2.5 cm) of asphalt. The unexpected discovery of a bog in the Ribble valley also required removal. The project involved constructing 22 bridges, for which designers had considerable creative freedom. Drake proposed painting the bridges in various colours to enhance aesthetics and reduce driver monotony, a suggestion that was well received.
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