North West

Construction of a new dual two-lane road to complete the Penwortham Bypass, running from the Broad Oak Roundabout on the A582, which forms the southern end of the part of the Bypass that already exists, and turning west to run directly to a new roundabout on the A59 south west of Howick Cross Lane.

The Broad Oak Roundabout would be signalised as part of these works.

A new dual two-lane route linking the A583 and A584 west of Preston to a new junction on the M55. The route will include two intermediate roundabout junctions and will involve building a new interchange on the M55.

The M55 does not have a junction 2 because at the time the motorway was built a western bypass of Preston, to be part of the motorway network, was proposed. The western bypass motorway was never built but this scheme is a smaller scale attempt to provide a similar road.

Improvements will be made to J19 of the M6 in order to reduce congestion and increase safety. The junction suffers problems handling current levels of traffic, and congestion is expected to be increase now that the adjacent A556 Knutsford to Bowdon Environmental Improvement scheme has opened to traffic. Changes are therefore required to allow the junction to continue functioning.

The scheme involves construction of a new interchange between junctions 10 and 11 of the M56, linking the motorway to the A533 close to Runcorn. The aims of the scheme are to reduce congestion and delays, particularly at junction 11 which is presently the main junction for Runcorn, as well as provide enhanced access to the new Mersey Gateway bridge.

Installation of Smart Motorway technology to a substantial length of M60 and M62, stretching from M60 J8 (the Carrington Spur near Trafford) to M62 J20 (the A627(M) between Oldham and Rochdale).

The scheme will introduce variable speed limits, hard shoulder running and new emergency refuge areas in an attempt to increase capacity and improve traffic flows on this congested length of motorway.

Construction of a new road bridge across the river Mersey about a mile east of the existing Runcorn-Widnes bridge. The scheme includes construction of approach roads on each bank to connect to the Runcorn Expressways and the A562 towards Liverpool.

The new and old bridges will be tolled.

A new dual carriageway road that will link to the completed single carriageway University Way, forming a link between the A534 and the A500, and creating an eastern bypass of Crewe.

It will link to a roundabout on the A500 Hough and Shavington Bypass that was provided when that road was built, but which has until now not connected to anything.

Lancashire County Council and Preston City Council plan to widen the whole of the A582 between Preston City Centre and the M65 to dual two-lane standard throughout.

The work is divided into five stages, some of which are already complete. The final stages were approved in September 2014.

Construction of a new single two-lane road from Switch Island (the interchange of M57 and M58) to the A565 at Thornton, relieving the A5207 Northern Perimeter Road of through traffic.

The new road is roughly on the line of the planned northward continuation of the M57, a motorway scheme that was proposed in the 1970s but which was never built. The new road completes the onward link from the M57 towards Formby and Southport at considerably reduced cost.

Work is being carried out under the Pinch Point Programme to fully signalise the roundabout at M6 junction 16 and widen the circulatory carriageway. The existing bridges are already wide enough for the addition of extra circulation lanes.

The northbound and southbound exit slip roads from the M6 are also being widened to support the extra lanes. The A500 western approach is also being widened so that traffic can queue by destination direction and thus reduce waiting time.

Changes to the layout of M6 junction 17 (Sandbach) under the Pinch Point programme. Works will consist of a new roundabout on the west side at the top of the northbound exit slip and installation of new traffic signals on the east side at the top of the southbound exit slip. Better lighting to also be installed. Free flow lanes for left turns will be put in where traffic levels demand it.

The original plan for the M6 between Birmingham and Manchester was to widen the road, but this was criticised for failing to sufficiently increase road capacity. As a result, a modified scheme was proposed whereby Active Traffic Management would be installed instead.

In 2014, the UK Government announced that funding would be made available to upgrade only the section between junctions 16 and 19. The J13-19 scheme was therefore withdrawn and replaced by the M6 J16-19 Smart Motorway scheme.