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...
1. 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
2. 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
3. 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
4. The opening of the M55
The Jaguar aircraft on the M55 in April 1975 Photo: National World