Skelmersdale
Skelmersdale | |||
Location Map ( geo) | |||
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County | |||
Lancashire | |||
Highway Authority | |||
Lancashire | |||
Forward Destination on | |||
M58 • A570 | |||
Next Primary Destinations | |||
Liverpool • Wigan | |||
Other Nearby Primary Destinations | |||
Southport | |||
Places related to the M58 | |||
Places related to the A570 | |||
Skelmersdale is a town in Lancashire that was designated as a 'new town' on 9 October 1961. It was planned to cover an area of 4,124,acres with an ultimate population of 80,000.
The Regional Road
The existing main road through the area, A577 from Wigan to Southport was inadequate for the traffic at the time due to passing through built areas and being of a tortuous nature. Lancashire County Council had planned a bypass of Skelmersdale and Up Holland in 1949 with a route from Wigan to Bickerstaffe. It was known as Route 215.
Route 215 was altered after Skelmersdale was chosen to be a New Town so that it passed to the south and provided a junction with M6 at Orrell and connected to the proposed Liverpool to Preston motorway at Aintree. The road was included in Lancashire County Council's campaign for new roads in 1966.
Phase 1 ran from the then B5192 Liverpool Road to Pimbo Interchange. It was opened as single carriageway road on 25 March 1968, cost £1,645,454. Contractors were a Sir Alfred McAlpine & Son Ltd./ Leonard Fairclough Ltd. consortium. It included the roundabout junction for the future Glenburn Road and a simplified connection to the first part of Stannanought Road built at the same time for £317,000.
Phase 2 was an eastwards extension from Pimbo Interchange to M6 J26 Orrell Interchange, a bypass for Up Holland. It was a 1.65 mile dual carriageway, with 75% finance from the Ministry, and it was opened on 1 October 1970 by Lord Rhodes, Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire. Contractor was Dowsett Engineering Construction Ltd and estimated cost £2.45 million.
M58 upgrade
The section from Glenburn Road Interchange to M6 J26 Orrell Interchange was upgraded to M58 on 17 September 1977. The 3.4 mile section had dual 3 lane carriageways, hard shoulders and a 13 foot wide central reservation. Contractor was Percy Bilton and cost almost £2 million.
The 1.6 mile westwards extension from J4 Glenburn Road Interchange to J3 Bickerstaffe Interchange opened on 1 June 1980 and again was dual 3 lanes.
North - South Principal Roads
Glenburn Road
This was the westerly N-S road and more centrally situated. The 1.6 mile dual carriageway connecting the Stanley Industrial Area to the A506 Regional Road (now M58) was opened on 1 October 1970 by Lord Rhodes, Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire. Contractor was Buckton Contractors Ltd., estimated cost £1.48 million. Halfmile Island, the junction with Neverstitch Road and Houghtons Road (now A577), had been built in advance by Norwest Construction Ltd.. The section south of Halfmile Island was later renumbered A5068.
Stannanought Road
The Eastern Primary Road formed the eastern limit of housing and development of the new town, except for Hall Green which was attached to Up Holland. Beacon Country Park was on the west of the road. It linked with Houghton Road (the West - East road in the north) and the A506 Regional Road (now M58) and the Pimbo Industrial Area in the south.
The first section to open was that from Pimbo Interchange on the Regional Road to a T junction with Ormskirk Road (then the route of A577. It opened as a single carriageway road on 25 March 1968 together with Phase 1 of the Regional Road. Contractors were a Sir Alfred McAlpine & Son Ltd./ Leonard Fairclough Ltd. consortium and cost £317,000.
This section was dualled by 1972.
A 4 mile single carriageway section north of Ormskirk Road was opened on 26 October 1972 (it must have included part of Houghtons Road). As a temporary measure traffic lights were in operation at the Ormskirk Road junction.
Routes
Route | To | Notes |
M6, Wigan | Wigan is reached via A577 | |
Liverpool | ||
Ormskirk, Southport | Southport is reached via A570 | |
Orrell | ||
M58 | ||
Town Centre |
Links
Pathetic Motorways