Work on £77m road project still a year away

A long-awaited upgrade of one of the main routes linking South Ribble and Preston will not take place for at least another year.

The £77m revamp of the A582 between Lostock Hall and Penwortham survived a cull of transport projects made to help divert government cash towards a £15bn defence spending programme, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The A582 project, which spans Farington Road, Flensburg Way and Penwortham Way, provisionally secured £57.9m of Department for Transport cash last July – but final confirmation will come only once a full business case for the work is approved.

If work begins next summer, it will be two years after the outline business case was made.

Lancashire County Council, which is contributing some of the funding, said: "We are continuing to develop plans to improve journeys along the A582 corridor between Preston and the M65, helping to reduce congestion, improve journey times and support future growth across South Ribble and Preston.

"The proposals will also provide improved facilities for buses, walking and cycling.

"The Department for Transport approved the scheme's outline business case in July 2025 and work is now under way to prepare a full business case for government consideration.

"Following extensive public engagement, a number of changes have been made to the proposals in response to feedback from residents and stakeholders.

"Subject to the necessary council approvals, we expect to submit the full business case in spring 2027, with construction anticipated to begin in summer 2027. We will continue to keep residents, businesses and stakeholders updated as the project progresses."

The scheme is a much scaled-down version of a previous vision to turn the entire stretch of the A582 between Lostock Hall and Penwortham into a dual carriageway.

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