With the new road – which is named after Edith Rigby in honour of Preston’s most famous suffragette who dedicated most of her life to fighting for women's rights – having opened to drivers on July 3, take a look back at the road’s inception in 1975...
Also, be sure not to miss… 11 picture memories of the M55 motorway between Blackpool and Preston as the new junction and A583 link road gets ready for opening
1. The opening of the M55
4th July 1975, "a walk down the new motorway for members of the official party at the opening of the M55" Photo: Preston Library
2. The opening of the M55
Neil Carmichael, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of the Environment, cuts the tape to open the Blackpool-Broughton M55 motorway On the left is Donald Dean, director of the North West Road Construction Unit Photo: Preston Library
3. The opening of the M55
In April 1975 British Aerospace demonstrated the versatility of the Jaguar fighter by turning the almost completed M55 at Weeton into a runway. Mock emergency landing Photo: submit
4. The opening of the M55
The Jaguar aircraft on the M55 in April 1975 Photo: National World