A relief road to cut congestion at a Preston traffic hotspot is back on the table.
Plans for the Broughton bypass will be on display in Goosnargh, Fulwood and Broughton in the coming weeks.
The village is currently plaqued by gridlocked roads as traffic attempts to get from the Broughton roundabout and north onto the A6.
Lancashire County Council is carrying out the consultation as part of its proposal for the bypass which has been 20 years in the making.
Council highways experts believe the bypass would reduce 80-90% of the traffic currently passing through the village centre.
County Councillor John Fillis, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “We need to do something about the traffic congestion in Broughton. It’s been an issue in the village for the last 40 years and with more than 22,000 vehicles passing through on the A6 every day, we need a bypass now more than ever.
“Building a bypass would link the M55 roundabout south of Broughton with Whittingham Lane and the A6 north of Broughton crossroads, whilst avoiding the main part of the village.”
The bypass route in the northern section would go from the A6 Garstang Road to the B5269 Whittingham Lane and will ne a two-lane single carriageway.
A southern section would go from B5269 Whittingham Lane to the M55 Junction 1 at the Broughton roundabout and be a four-lane carriageway.
Over 22,000 vehicles currently go through the centre of Broughton and the lack of a bypass is one of the reasons why large planning applications are being sat on by Preston City Council for the northern edge of the city.
Many housing developments are currently stalled because the transport infrastructure in the area cannot take any increase in vehicles – according to reports submitted to the city council’s planning committee.
The county council is currently pumping tens of millions into a Transport Masterplan for the city, which includes improvements to the Broughton roundabout which are already underway.
View a map below showing the key plans and ideas in the county council’s transport masterplan
View Central Lancashire transport masterplan in a larger map
Preston City Council is also undertaking its own masterplan to examine how thousands of new homes can be built on the northern edge of Preston, and is expected to list completion of the Broughton bypass as a key factor in allowing growth.
A planning application is expected to be submitted for the bypass on Wednesday 31 July.
The three consultation events to view the plans, see maps of the route and speak to council officers are:
Tuesday 16 July, 4pm-8.30pm, Goosnargh Village Hall, Church Lane, Goosnargh, PR3 2BH
Wednesday 17 July, 11am-8.30pm, Fulwood Free Methodist Church car park, Lightfoot Lane, Fulwood, PR2 3LT
Saturday 20 July, 11am-5pm, Gate of Bengal Indian restaurant car park, 521 Garstang Road, Broughton, PR3 5JA
Do you live or work in the area? What do you think about the proposed Broughton bypass? Let us know in the comments below