Long-awaited new Heyhouses-M55 Link Road heralds new era for drivers in Fylde

With the minimum of fuss and no ceremony, as it is the run-up to a General Election, the £27m between Cypress Point, Ansdell, and the Whitehill roundabout at Peel, close to the M55 junction four, welcomed drivers along its 1.8 mile length.

There was no shortage of early takers, with a queue of some 20 or 30 vehicles eager to be among the first to take the trip on a link which replaces the old single track road across Marton Moss and has been years in the gestation.

The two ‘ends’ of what is called Lytham St Annes Way were built all of 25 years ago but after years of wrangling over its financing, work finally started three years ago.

Its benefits, in terms of faster journey times and relieving congestion on small roads, are expected to be experienced immediately as thousands of people travel from across Lancashire and beyond to the annual Lytham Festival which begins on Wednesday, July 3.

Phil Durnell, Lancashire County Council’s director of highways and transport, said: "This is the culmination of many years of hard work by the county council and our partners to make the case for its benefits, bring together substantial funding from a number of sources, and engineer and construct the road to the necessary standard in what is a challenging location due to the naturally wet ground conditions.

"The road will immediately improve people's journeys between the Fylde coast and the M55, and bring significant future economic benefits.”