Preston bridge roadworks to last months longer than expected: all you need to know
Drivers using a busy route on the outskirts of Preston could face delays until next spring after highways bosses announced a hold-up in work to widen a narrow bridge.
The project to increase the width of the Skew Bridge, on Preston Road in Grimsargh, began in July and had been due to be finished by November.
However, Lancashire County Council says a “previously unrecorded drainage system” has been discovered beneath the bridge in an area needed to safely support the widened section. The foundations of the existing bridge were also found to be different to those shown on historic plans.
As a result, additional work is needed to reroute the drainage - and the designs for the bridge widening are now being revised. It means the scheme will now last several months longer than previously expected.
The authority says it is working with the contractor to agree a new schedule and will write to residents in Grimsargh once the timings have been confirmed. It has also pledged to try to minimise disruption.
The works so far have involved temporary traffic lights across the bridge and at the junction of Preston Road and Whittingham Lane to enable work to install a mini-roundabout.
Overnight road closures are planned for between 26th and 29th August to allow the latter work to be completed - and further such closures will be required at various points during the rest of the scheme’s delivery.
At an as- yet-unspecified time, the route either side of the bridge will need to shut for a full week while the widened section is installed.
A signed diversion suitable for all vehicles, including HGVs, will be in place via Preston Road (B6242), James Towers Way (A6), Whittingham Lane (B5269), and Cumeragh Lane (B5269).
Local traffic is expected to use a shorter route via Whittingham Lane, Haighton Green Lane, D’Urton Lane, Eastway, Andertons Way, Bluebell Way and Longridge Road/Preston Road - and in the reverse direction.
County Coun Warren Goldsworthy, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “We understand that delays to this important project will be frustrating for residents and road users.
“Preston Road is a very busy route and we’ve always been conscious of the need to keep disruption to an absolute minimum - yhat remains our top priority.
“We’re already working on options to ease traffic management while the additional work is carried out. We are also considering moving the one-week road closure originally planned for the October half-term to another suitable date.
“Although this discovery means the project will take longer to finish, the end result will be worth it with better traffic flow, fewer delays for buses and safer journeys for everyone.”
Skew Bridge has historically been just wide enough to allow two medium-sized cars to pass across it in either direction.
However, larger vehicles like buses and lorries take up the entire span of the narrow route, forcing oncoming traffic to stop and wait.