New M55 junction: We take a drive down long-awaited Preston Western Distributor as it opens to public

The long-awaited stretch, costing some £207million and christened Edith Rigby Way, opened to traffic on Monday morning just before 11am, linking the new junction 2 of the M55 with the A583 at Lea via Bartle.

We were among the first people to drive down the route - the opening motorists battling typical Lancashire weather as they tested out the tarmac.

After the invited dignitaries fought driving rain and gusts that saw off a couple of umbrellas to cut that all-important ribbon, we jumped in vehicles that took us from the Savick Brook Viaduct, within touching distance of the A583, to the new junction that it is hoped will transform road travel in the local area.

The stretch takes in first the Cottam link road, named Avice Pimblett Way after the first female councillor for Preston.

Then it’s William Young Way, the former East West Link Road now bearing the name of a noted Victoria Cross winner, before the new service station in the place of the Saddle Inn pub comes into view on the right of Edith Rigby Way.

After heading under a bridge manned by those who had worked on the road since the tail end of 2019, the new junction comes into view, a welcome site for many who have been counting down the days to the completion of a project that was initially targeted for March.

We then loop around the motorway roundabout, no need to head on the actual motorway during this test drive, and as the convoy of minibuses and official vehicles makes its way back towards our base for the morning we see the most welcome of sites, live traffic on the road heading for the M55.

It’s been a long stretch in more ways than one, but after months of roadworks and 50mph limits, all those involved will hope the benefits of the major project will soon be crystal clear for all to see.