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Haighton Interchange

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Haighton Interchange
Location Map ( geo)
M6 Northbound, Junction 31A - Geograph - 2913919.jpg
Cameraicon.png View gallery (2)
Location
Fulwood Row
County
Lancashire
Highway Authority
National Highways
Junction Type
Folded Half Diamond
Roads Joined
M6, B6242

Haighton Interchange, junction 31A of the M6, is a limited access junction constructed in the 1990s to serve an employment area of Preston.

History

The original 1970s planned layout

There was originally no junction here nor was one planned when the M6 was first built. In the late 1960s the area around Preston was designed a new town and a new road network was planned. A junction was planned in exactly the same location as today's junction but it was to serve a completely different purpose. A major road, known as the Eastern Primary, would have ran from Haighton Interchange and re-connect to the motorway network further south near Bamber Bridge. The junction would have been the main entrance to the new town from the north and was to be of a freeflow design to maximise capacity. The layout shown here was set by the mid-1970s. Junctions further south would have served traffic coming from the south so south facing slips were deemed unnecessary. In addition, the north facing slips at J31 would close although it's unclear why this would be necessary given there would be no weaving issues.

New towns were rarely completed as intended and Central Lancashire New Town is no exception. The Eastern Primary was never built apart from a small section near Bamber Bridge so there was no need for the junction.

The M6 was widened in the 1990s and at the same time plans for a junction at Haighton re-emerged, this time for a different reason. A new employment area was being developed and a junction would be required to serve it. Unlike the 1970s proposals, this was built with south facing slips. The addition of north facing slips has been considered but is deemed unlikely.

The M6 Preston Bypass in the vicinity of this junction is the only part of the Preston Bypass that was mostly or even completely removed from the boundaries occupied by the original Preston Bypass carriageways as a result of offline parallel widening during the 1993-1995 widening from the original D2M/D3M space into the even wider D4M layout. This also meant that the stretch of the mainline Preston Bypass in the vicinity of M6 J31a was the only part of it to be given a renewed special road order in addition to the special road orders for the then new sliproads at M6 Junctions 30, 31 and 31a. The underbridge for B6242 Bluebell Way is the only underbridge on the current version of the M6 Preston Bypass not to have any part of its structure dating back to the 1956-1958 period.

Routes

Route To Notes

M6

The LAKES, Lancaster, Blackpool (M55) access to/from M6 only

M6

The SOUTH, (M61, M58)

B6242

(M6),(M55), Preston (East)

B6242

Longridge Ind Estates (B6243) on some signs as B6241
Park and Ride
Ladywell, Payphone

EP

Preston

EP

Grimsargh


Links



Haighton Interchange
Related Pictures
View gallery (2)
Haighton Interchange 1970s proposal.pngM6 Northbound, Junction 31A - Geograph - 2913919.jpg
Other nearby junctions
Preston
Junctions on the M6
PresentM1 J19 Catthorpe • 1 Junction 1 • 2 Ansty • 3 Exhall • 3A/4 Coleshill • 4A Water Orton • 5 Castle Bromwich • 6 Gravelly Hill • 7 Great Barr • 8 Ray Hall • 9 Wednesbury • 10 Bentley • 10A Essington • 11 Laney Green • 11A Saredon • 12 Gailey • 13 Dunston • 14 Creswell • 15 Hanchurch • 16 Barthomley • 17 Sandbach • 18 Middlewich • 19 Tabley • 20 Lymm • 21 Woolston • 21A Croft • 22 Winwick • 23 Haydock Island • 24 Junction 24 • 25 Bryn • 26 Orrell • 27 Junction 27 • 28 Leyland • 29 Bamber Bridge • 30 Blacow Bridge • 31 Samlesbury • 31A Haighton • 32 Broughton • 33 Hampson Green • 34 Lune Valley • 35 Carnforth • 36 Crooklands • 37 Killington • 38 Tebay • 39 Shap • 40 Skirsgill • 41 Catterlen • 42 Golden Fleece • 43 Rosehill • 44 Kingstown • 45 Guards Mill
Former32A Broughton Roundabout • 35A Keer Level Roundabout
Unbuilt"6A" Perry Barr • "10A" Short Heath • "14A" M6 "Expressway" • "14A" M64 • "15A" M6 "Expressway" • "16A" M6 "Expressway" • "27A" Euxton • "33A" "Junction 33A"
Unenacted Extension to Glasgow"46" Gretna • "47" Kirkpatrick Fleming • "48" Eaglesfield • "49" Ecclefechan • "50" Lockerbie South • "51" Lockerbie North • "52" Johnstonebridge • "53" Beattock • "54" Elvanfoot & Crawford • "55" Abington • "56" Millbank • "57" Poniel • "58" Wellburn • "59" M74 Junction 9 • "60" Canderside Toll • "61" Larkhall • "62" Hamilton • "63" Raith • "64" Maryville • "65" Daldowie • "66" Carmyle Avenue • "67" Fullarton Road • "68" Cambuslang Road • "69" Polmadie Road • "70" Kingston
M6 TollColeshill • T1 Dunton • T2 Junction T2 • T3 Langley Mill • T4 Weeford • T5 Wall Island • T6 Brownhills  • T7 Churchbridge • T8 Wedges Mills • 11A Saredon


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