page_title: Preston By-pass
section_title: Route
hierarchical_section_title: Preston By-pass / Route
caption_attribution_description: English: Comparative route of the Preston by-pass (left upon opening, right as of 2017), drawn by myself using reference maps. Source for 1958: http://maps.nls.uk/view/91576408 Source for 2017: https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=13/53.7611/-2.6583
context_page_description: The Preston Bypass was the United Kingdom’s first motorway. It was designed and engineered by Lancashire County Council surveyor James Drake as part of a larger initiative to create a north-south motorway network that would later form part of the M6 motorway. The bypass was opened on 5 December 1958 by the Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan. Nearly £3 million was spent in its construction. The original ​8 ¹⁄₄-mile motorway ran around the east side of Preston between Bamber Bridge and Broughton and crosses over the River Ribble at Samlesbury at the M6 Junction 31.
  Planning started in 1937, despite there being no legal powers that permitted motorway construction until the introduction of the Special Roads Act 1949. Early work was hampered by heavy rainfall, resulting in postponement of various heavy engineering works such as the base foundation; the result of the weather meant the original two-year plan was delayed by a further five months. Weeks after opening, the road had to close temporarily due to water causing further problems, when the base layer was damaged as a result of a rapid freeze and thaw cycle.
context_section_description: Despite the motorway passing through industrial areas, the proposed route alignment meant that property demolition was kept to a minimum, with just a single farmhouse and three dwellings requiring demolition. The route was constructed through four separate localities, including 1.65 mi (2.66 km) through the County Borough of Preston, 2.54 mi (4.09 km) through the Urban District of Walton-le-Dale, 1.77 mi (2.85 km) through the Urban District of Fulwood and 2.30 mi (3.70 km) through the Rural District of Preston.
  Initially, there were a total of 22 bridges built under or over the motorway, such as a principal bridge at Samlesbury which carried traffic over the River Ribble and the A59 trunk road, the only junction upon opening; the other principal bridge was at Higher Walton, carrying traffic over the River Darwen and the A675 road. The overall width of the motorway was 112 ft (34 m), 24 ft (7.3 m) for each carriageway, 14 ft (4.3 m) for the verges and a 32 ft (9.8 m) central reservation.
  The routes around the city of Preston, including the bypass as part of the modern day M6 motorway, are recognised as being some of the most congested in the UK, with traffic to and from Preston being labelled amongst the country’s top 25 most congested routes.
caption: Preston bypass route (left: 1958, right: 2017)
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