IF James Drake and far-sighted Blackpool councillors had had their way, the resort would have won Britain's first motorway 70 years ago.
He became "motorway mad" in 1937, when as the newly-appointed Surveyor to Blackpool Borough Council, he visited the autobahnen, at that time being built in Germany.
On his return he recommended to his Highways Committee that the resort's new Ring Road be built as Britain's first motorway.
It was not to be, the road remaining, to this day, on the drawing board. Blackpool's loss was, however, Lancashire's gain, as Drake became county surveyor and, ultimately, creator of our modern motorway network – dubbed the Brunel of his age.
A Lancastrian, born on 27th July, 1907 at Altham, Burnley, Drake was educated at Accrington Grammar School before graduating, with a first class honours degree in civil engineering at Manchester University.
Having also passed the professional examinations of The Institute of Civil Engineers, he served Stockport Borough Council and Bootle – where, in typical style, he helped build a sports stadium, an 18-hole golf course and, as a portent for the future, prepared plans for a major new arterial road.
In 1937, Drake joined Blackpool Council, first as deputy, and from 1938 as chief engineer and surveyor. Amid a resort approaching the peak of its prosperity, he was able to oversee a huge regeneration programme.
As the author of a Shoreline Strategy Plan, he spent almost £1m on updating the town's sewerage system, developing local housing stock, adopting new roads and enhancing its sea defences.
He also built St John's Market, new libraries at Hawes Side and South Shore, Bispham Library and Clinic and, in 1938, for £64,000, an impressive set of Municipal Offices. Twelve months earlier he helped complete the atmospheric art deco café set amid the elegance of the 280-acre Stanley Park. He enhanced South Promenade with the slightly eccentric Solarium, now happily reshaped for a new century as the eco-friendly Solaris Centre.
During Drake's time Blackpool's Corporation's world famous Derby Baths was constructed. Once one of only a handful of Olympic-sized swimming pools in Britain, the huge facility was, amid much controversy, later demolished. Likely to follow the same fate is one of the first multi-storey car parks built in Britain. Capable of holding 800 cars and situated in Talbot Road, then right at the heart of the town, the cavernous steel-framed structure boasted a busy and thriving bus station on the ground floor. An early beacon of enlightened integrated transport thinking, today with its external cream-coloured faience prematurely aged by utilitarian 1960s concrete cladding, its bus passengers long gone, this once progressive facility has sadly become tarnished by time and neglect.
In 1945, Drake moved to County Hall as Lancashire's county surveyor and bridgemaster, and fulfilled his dream –to build Britain's first motorway.
After much prevarication, following the publication his of his Road Plan for Lancashire, work eventually began on 12th June 1956 on the Bamber Bridge to Broughton section of the north-south Preston by-pass, later to become part of the M6.
By later standards the eight and a half mile inaugural route was a somewhat crude affair, essentially experimental, a test bed for all future projects. Considered small as a civil engineering project, it was a scheme of considerable magnitude, the diverse topography and geological strata inherent in the Ribble Valley presenting some unique challenges. The excavation of some three million cubic yards of material was on a scale not seen since the great age of the railway.
Costs meant some of Drake's recommendations were initially overruled. Two lanes only were built, instead of the proposed three; hard shoulders were left unpaved; there was no safety barrier on the central reservation; and a lower specification drainage system proved unable to cope with what was unduly harsh weather, its replacement appropriately reverting to Drake's original manifest.
On December 5, 1958, Prime Minister Harold MacMillan unveiled the granite plinth to declare the motorway open– the first strand in a web of tarmac that would eventually enmesh the country.
The completion of the new road raised expectations for further projects, which duly followed – first at Lancaster, then Stretford and eventually the M1 and M6 et al.
Drake confidently led the way, totally convinced that his long-standing utopian dream was about to be realised. Motorways would be economical to build, they would convey traffic smoothly and safely and have a minimum of interference with land use. They would bring cities together, remove traffic from towns and villages, improve road safety and create economic growth.
He specialised in the design and execution of bridges of all shapes and sizes, almost 500 in all, throughout his long career. Outstanding is the 2,425ft long Barton Bridge rising 100ft above the Manchester Ship Canal on what is now the M60. Equally comparable is the original Thelwall Viaduct. This, the longest bridge on a British motorway and now accompanied by a newer partner, has 36 spans magnificently rising 93ft over the Manchester Ship Canal and the River Mersey.
Each construction he painted a different colour, conscious of the need to relieve the boredom for drivers on long motorway journeys. For Salmesbury Bridge, he famously allowed his wife to choose her favourite colour – turquoise. When his staff objected, Drake insisted the colour stayed. "After all", as he told them, "I am more frightened of my wife than you!"
On and offsite, Drake was a workaholic, a hard taskmaster whose often irascible nature became legendary. While utterly respected for his fairness, apocryphal tales abound that if he hadn't sacked you at least once in your career you were beneath his notice.
From his contractors, generally Alfred McAlpine, he demanded and obtained work of the highest quality, unfailingly within the required timescale. His constant searching for improved specifications meant many of projects lasted far beyond their intended lifespan.
In 1967, Drake was seconded to the Ministry of Transport as Director of the First Road Construction Unit For The North West of England, building the M6 and planning the M53 and M56 motorways. In 1968, he returned to his Lancashire office, adding the duties of chief engineer to his remit. Here, he helped to oversee the development of the M61 and M62 and to lay plans for future projects including the M55, M58 and M66.
Awarded a CBE in 1962, Drake was knighted in 1973, the year after his retirement from Lancashire County Council.
Married with two daughters, he later served as a director and consultant of the Fairclough Construction Group. He also indulged his passion for golf, particularly at his favourite course, Royal Lytham, close to his St Annes home.
In his final interview with The Gazette, in December 1988, this revered elder statesman, dubbed Mr Motorway, remained as staunch a supporter of motorways ever.
While decrying their current untidy and unkempt state: "A tidy motorway makes for tidy driving", he defended their importance. He also recorded his sadness about the lack of investment by the politicians of the day. A consistent proponent of strict speed limits of 65-70 mph, he remained totally opposed to road pricing. "If I build a motorway I want it to be used. Toll roads would only be used by the more wealthy people!"
Sir James died, at 82, in Blackpool Victoria Hospital, on February 1, 1989. Today a plaque at the Solaris Centre is the one local public acknowledgement of the life and work of this remarkable man – although his influence is all around us.