An extra lane is to be built on part of the M6 to ease one of the worst bottlenecks in Lancashire.
The M6 southbound at Broughton Interchange will be extended to three lanes between the entry and exit slip roads at junction 32.
The £4.1m project, which will take six months to complete, will see the mile-long stretch of road with just two lanes around junction 32 increased to three.
It is hoped the Highways Agency project will help ease Preston's congestion nightmare. Work will be carried out in the southbound direction from January 2009 and highways bosses have said they are "seriously looking" at ways to keep traffic flowing in the opposite way.
A spokesman said: "The proposals will, hopefully, ease the congestion at a well-known bottleneck on the motorway.
"This will have positive benefits for Preston and the surrounding area by this time next year."
The road between junction 31a at Fulwood and 32 is one of the busiest stretches of the M6, with up to 135,000 vehicles passing through each day.
Junction 32 is also a major interchange with the M55 and frequently used by motorists travelling to Blackpool, the Lake District and Preston.
But half a mile before the junction lanes split to join the M55, leaving just two lanes on the M6.
It is hoped the move will help tackle the nightly hold-ups for rush-hour traffic joining the southbound lanes from Blackpool.
Under the proposals, a third lane would be installed where the hard shoulder is currently located. A new hard shoulder will then be constructed.
Contractors are now being sought to carry out the project, which would be completed by this time next year.
However, the agency said it was "too early to say" whether it would cause delays for motorists or if parts of the motorway would be closed during the building work.
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