Link road opening delayed by 'wet weather' - council

Lancashire County Council said it hoped the aerial shots would show construction has been progressing well

A major link road in a coastal town has been delayed by two months.

The road, linking Lytham and St Annes with the M55 motorway, had been due to open in April 2024.

Lancashire County Council said "prolonged wet weather" had hampered progress and it would now open in June 2024.

The road is being built to improve access, relieve congestion on smaller roads and support plans for more housing and business development.

The road will connect the existing roundabout at Whitehills Road to the north with Heyhouses Lane to the south.

Work started on the M55 to Heyhouses link road in June 2021.

The county council said prolonged wet weather during 2023 caused delays in the first phase of the scheme to carry out earthworks and construct drainage, which had a knock-on impact on the rest of the project.

But it said construction had been progressing well, with kerbing now in place along with preparations for the final surface to be laid.

Lancashire's cabinet member for highways Rupert Swarbrick said warmer weather would give more certainty over timescales and the council's team would be "working really hard to get the road finished and open as soon as they possibly can".

The project has been welcomed by Fylde MP Mark Menzies who said the transformation of the road into "a modern highway for traffic, with accompanying bridle path and access for cyclists and pedestrians is hugely exciting".

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