A585 Windy Harbour to Skippool

We’re building a new offline bypass around the village of Little Singleton. The bypass will help to reduce congestion, improve safety, reduce the impact of traffic on the local community, and remove a major bottleneck on the main road to Fleetwood.

Start date Spring 2020
End date 2023-24
Cost £162 million

Latest updates

  • 13 August 2024

    Celebrating project completion

    On Friday (9 August) we were joined by partners, councillors, MPs and civic dignitaries to celebrate completing the A585 Windy Harbour to Skippool project.

    With final upgrades to the network finished, it was the ideal time to mark the major achievement.

    Celebration Picture

    Caption: Attendees included Andrew Snowden MP for Fylde (fourth from left) and Lorraine Beavers MP for Blackpool North and Fleetwood (centre).

    Guests at the event learned more about the project, construction challenges and how the improvements will deliver smoother and more reliable journeys. Key achievements include:

    • building a new three-mile bypass with two lanes in each direction
    • constructing three new bridges
    • laying 100,000 tonnes of road surface material
    • recycling 500,000 tonnes of site materials
    • creating six new or improved junction upgrades
    • installing nearly four miles of new cycleway
    • using 50 local companies

    Enhancing the environment has also been a major part of the project. This has involved planting 72,000 trees and shrubs and creating pond, woodland and grassland areas to enrich biodiversity.

    Further environmentally friendly improvements include safe crossings for wildlife beneath the bypass and creating bird mitigation areas for special species.

    We’ve also carried out major improvements to Mains Lane, as well as across the wider scheme. Our work will improve safety for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders.

    Some seasonal planting is set to take place later year, but main construction work has been completed.

    We would like to say a massive thank you to drivers and the community. During construction, your patience and cooperation has allowed us to work as safely and as quickly as possible. 

  • 04 July 2024

    Change in speed limit on Mains Lane

    Following the opening of the A585 Windy Harbour to Skippool bypass, we've been carrying out improvements to Mains Lane (the old A585).

    This is to reflect its new function as a local road before we hand it over to Lancashire County Council.

    Our work has involved:

    • completing a new traffic island at Shard Road junction
    • upgrading traffic signals at Shard Road and Singleton junction and installing new pedestrian crossings
    • installing new 30mph speed limit signs
    • moving the bus stop from Shard Road to Mains Lane and installing tactile paving to improve pedestrian safety
    • installing new cycle lanes on the road between Shard Road and Little Singleton junctions

    Please be aware that the speed limit has been reduced from 40mph to 30mph on the section of Mains Lane between Shard and Little Singleton junctions, as planned. 

    The change in speed limit will make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists. Thank you for your continued patience while we complete our work.

  • 22 December 2023

    Bypass open for traffic

    Earlier this week, we opened the A585 Windy Harbour to Skippool bypass to road users.

    We’re using a phased approach to open the bypass, it’s the least disruptive way of completing our remaining work while keeping local roads and communities moving.

    As part of the phased opening, the bypass is initially operating in single file with a reduced speed limit of 30mph.

    We’d like to apologise to any drivers who have experienced delays since we first opened the new road to traffic. We're working round the clock to ease congestion and improve journeys for road users in the area.

    The bypass will become fully operational later this winter, making use of all four lanes at the national speed limit (70mph). For safety, the speed limit will be reduced to 50mph on the approach to Poulton junction and 40mph towards Skippool junction. 

    We’ve put road signs at key decision points for drivers, informing them of the new road layout as shown in our scheme map.

    We’ll commission the permanent lights at Skippool in January and complete surfacing work at Windy Harbour, Poulton and Skippool junctions.

    We’ll also be carrying out alterations to Mains Lane (the old A585) to reflect its new function as a local road, including a new cycleway and reduced speed limits.

  • 05 December 2023

    Phased bypass opening

    We’re pleased to let you know that we’ll be opening the bypass to road users for the first time, week commencing Monday 18 December 2023.

    The bypass will be opened using a phased approach, so people can experience the benefits of the new road as soon as possible. While also enabling us to safely complete finishing work along the route. This includes:

    • Skippool and Skippool Bridge junctions
      Completing traffic islands and installing permanent traffic lights at both locations
    • Lodge Lane
      Final landscaping and constructing a noise barrier on both the west and eastbound carriageway
    • Poulton junction
      Completing the traffic island and the installing a safety barrier and permanent traffic lights
    • Windy Harbour
      Completing the eastbound carriageway, including the installation of kerbs
    • Planting
      We will continue to plant thousands of trees, plants and shrubs

    Initially, the bypass will operate in single file with a reduced speed limit of 30mph.

    The bypass will become fully operational later this winter, making use of all four lanes at the national speed limit (70mph). For safety, the speed limit will be reduced to 50mph on the approach to Poulton junction and 40mph towards Skippool junction.

    What’s coming up?

    When the bypass opens in December, there’ll be an immediate closure of Garstang New Road to traffic at Five Lanes End (Shell garage vicinity).

    Motorists travelling towards the M55 / M6 / Lancaster / Preston or Fleetwood / Thornton Cleveleys will be advised to use the bypass.

    We’ll be putting signs at key decision points for drivers, informing them of the new road layout. Additionally, we’ll be sharing our updated scheme map via a number of channels including social media.

    We’ll also be carrying out alterations to Mains Lane (the old A585) to reflect its new function as a local road, including a new cycleway and reduced speed limits.

    We’ll continue to keep you updated by sharing updates on this webpage and on our social media channels when the bypass becomes fully operational.

Project information

Overview

The A585 is the main road in and out of Fleetwood and surrounding areas. It's heavily congested between Windy Harbour and Skippool and drivers currently suffer from significant delays during peak periods. The road also has a poor safety record.

Congestion is particularly severe at the junction with the A586 at Little Singleton and the signalised junction with the A588 at Shard Road. A high number of accidents are reported at these junctions and the volume of traffic is also a concern for local people, pedestrians, equestrians and cyclists.

If we don’t make improvements to this three-mile section of road, it's likely there will be a rise in traffic levels and an increase in the number of accidents and delays to journey times.

We aim to improve:

Reliability

By reducing congestion, especially around Little Singleton, Shard Road and Skippool junctions, which will improve journey times.

Socio-economic

By supporting the economic growth potential in both Wyre and Fylde and supporting planned residential developments in the local area

Safety

By improving the safety of pedestrians, equestrians and cyclists around the existing A585

Visit our A585 Windy Harbour to Skippool feedback tool to have your say. The tool includes an interactive map. You can click on a location to make a specific comment, or give us your general feedback.

ECHO is a one-way feedback tool, so if you’d like a response to your feedback you can email the project team at: A585WindyHarbourToSkippool@nationalhighways.co.uk

Documents

Traffic information

Information about scheduled roadworks and events on our motorways and major roads.

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