Consultation starts on A585 bypass route but extensions ruled out

Plans for the road, which aim to tackle the traffic jams which have plagued the area, are now going out to public consultation for seven weeks, with people urged to have their say.

The preferred route involves running a new dual carriageway south of the current road. The bypass will then be book-ended by short, and newly-dualled, sections of the existing A585 at Mains Lane at Skippool and Garstang Road at Windy Harbour. The bypass itself will feature just one junction – a roundabout with the A586 at Poulton.

The plan was unveiled last October. Since then, Highways England has done further work on the bypass design and has now discounted ideas for a new Shard Road link at Skippool Bridge and a junction on the new bypass at Grange with Garstang New Road which local people suggested would improve traffic flow.

Highways England project manager David Hopkin said: “We’ve decided against a new Shard Road link for environmental reasons – including increased noise – and we’ve ruled out the junction idea at Grange as it would provide ‘rat run’ access to the old section of the A585 and needlessly interrupt the flow of traffic on the new dual carriageway.

“Over the next few weeks we’re really keen to hear people’s views on the A585 plans as this is the design we’re aiming to deliver - with construction hopefully starting before April 2020.”

The consultation starts next Wednesday and runs until Thursday, May 8.

Email [email protected] or call 0300 123 5000.

Highways England needs a development consent order before building the new road and has organised a series of public consultations.

They will be at Singleton Village Hall, Station Road, Singleton, on Friday March 23, 2pm-8pm and on Saturday, April 7, 10am-4pm; Wyre Civic Centre, Breck Road, Poulton on Tuesday, April 10, 3pm-8pm and Fleetwood Nautical Campus, Broadwater, on Wednesday April 11, 1pm-7pm.