Work has been completed on a major improvement project to a road near Carnforth which was once one of the UK's shortest motorways.
The 1.3-mile A6070 which connects the M6 and the A6 was originally built as part of the M6 Lancaster bypass in 1960, becoming the northern limit of the M6.
The road became the key link to the motorway network for North Lancashire when the M6 was extended north in the 1970s, being reclassified as the A601(M), and ultimately its special 'motorway' status was removed in 2023 as part of a project which has enabled much-needed maintenance to ensure it remains fit for use after more than 60 years in service.
The work, funded by a £9.2m grant from the Department for Transport, began in April 2024 and has included:
- Replacing 84 bearings on Higher North Road Bridge, along with repairs to two further bridges
- Installing 155 gullies and maintaining and repairing 540 metres of drains
- Erecting 2.8km of new safety barriers
- Replacing the surface with 3,600 tonnes of new material
- Reducing the speed limit to 50mph
County Councillor Phillippa Williamson, leader of Lancashire County Council and local county councillor for the Carnforth area, said: "This has been a major project to maintain an important link road, and it's a credit to our highways team and our contractor AE Yates that it's been completed according to plan, on time and on budget.
"The road now being classified as an A-road as opposed to a motorway means that it does not have to meet the same design criteria which will save £30m to the cost of maintaining it over the coming years.
"We've also been able to carry out a number of environmental and ecological improvements as part of this scheme, in keeping with this now being a local road rather than part of the national motorway infrastructure.
"I'm grateful to the local community for their support and understanding while we've carried out this project over the past year."
Ruairi Flynn, A E Yates associate operations director, said: "We're delighted to hand over the A6070 scheme to Lancashire County Council.
"Completing this project on time and on budget is testament to true collaboration with Lancashire County Council and our local supply chain.’’
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