M6 Preston Bypass - The First Motorway

[@David_Crayford]

Happy Birthday, Preson Bypass. 05.12.1958.

[@johntomlinson6849]

The Preston bypass (M6) and a lot of Britain's motorway system owes a huge debt of gratitude to a visionary Lancastrian engineer named Sir James Drake (check his wikipedia page). He saw the need for such a road network as far back as the 1930s and bullied the fools in Whitehall for years to allow him to proceed. Thanks to him, when I was growing up in Manchester in the early 1970s we had a fantastic motorway network in the north west, way ahead of London who didn't even have the M25 at the time.

[@manomaylr]

The bridge at 0:34 is the only one left over from the original motorway. The hard shoulder is discontinuous because of the widening from D2M to D3M.

[@arthurjohnson9982]

All the others were removed when the bypass was widened in the 1990s.

[@DaveBeaven-tx2tp]

There are remnants of an old farm at 2:17 where the M6 passes through Boilton Wood. The farm was called Lower Boilton. The track to it was cut off when the motorway was widened. Also the person recording this video was driving on the old footprint of the original M6. So therefore the lanes and hard shoulder are original apart from being resurfaced. The widening actually took place on the east side cutting through Boilton Wood. I remember the work taking place in July 1993. They were getting the footings ready for the new Pope Lane Bridge at the time. Pope Lane is after 2:17 on the video. Pope Lane Bridge was a favourite for joy riders burning stolen cars out at night in Redscar and Boilton woods in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

[@DaveBeaven-tx2tp]

I took a lot of photos of the M6 widening between 1993 to 1995. They have never been published. First I recorded all the old bridges in Fulwood and Ribbleton in autumn 1992 before work started. I then photographed the bridge demolition in 1993. Been escorted off the motorway a few times when it was closed. All the motorway closures were advertised in local newspapers. If anyone has a good record of the motorway then it’s me. I used to live very close to the motorway in the early 1980s. I used to play in the culverts under the M6 next door to the former Courtaulds Redscar Works. I also photographed the M65 under construction but the security and construction contractors were quite hostile due to motorway protests. I think the Highways Agency would wet themselves with excitement if they see the photos I have stored away. Must be quite a few hundred. I also a few photos I took of the motorway from a microlite when I was photographing the nearby Whittingham Hospital from the air as well as the derelict St John Southworth School site on Longridge Rd close to the M6. I also did a video of the M6 with a camcorder after doing a video of Broughton Hall Farm that was derelict close by the M6/M55 Interchange in early 1994. The viaduct over the River Ribble was lifted in stages a few feet higher before a new decking was constructed. It was widened on both sides. There was an incident when a member of the public drove through the barrier at Bamber Bridge and crash into a half demolished bridge at School Lane Bamber Bridge. The driver was not hurt. I was there that night but went home and then heard about the incident. I have quite a collection of newpaper cuttings related to the motorway widening as well. I was there when the deck beams of the new railway path bridge was laid in place just north of Longridge Rd only to find they removed the bridge a week or so later because the mathematics wasn’t right! The railway bridge had been erected twice.

[@john-ob7bv]

Good motorway driving right there.

[@LynxEE20]

I grew up a short distance from the motorway, in Bamber Bridge, just to the west of J30. I believe there was a plan to route the original bypass along the western side of Bamber Bridge (taking in part of the current A6 dual carriageway) before turning sharply to the right across the top of the village to re-join the current alignment to the east of Preston.

[@DaveBeaven-tx2tp]

I grew up at the top end of Brookfield near Gamull Lane and remember hearing the motorway at night in summer. It sounded very eery at night when motorbikes used to travel on the motorway. It was like the sound stayed in the same place.

[@DaveBeaven-tx2tp]

The shorter span of Longridge Road bridge where the supporting pier is on the northbound carriage way is was the original length of the bridge before is was partially demolished in November 1993. This span was over 6 lanes ( 3 north bound and 3 Southbound wide. The existing centre pier was the original abutment that was constructed in reinforced concrete that was cladded in brick. They demolished the bridge decking over 2 nights. Road surface, concrete decking and parapet railings was demolished on the Friday night and the steel beams was demolished the second night. The abutment on the east side was retained and altered before being cladded in brick. A larger span for the new southbound carriage way was constructed shorter to accommodate 4 Lanes and hard shoulder. Most of the M6 was raised higher than the original level. There is proof of this around the replacement bridge known as Hindley House bridge near Ladywell Shrine that has steps at right angles. I would love to see a video before April 1993 when evidence of work could be seen. The section of M6 over Blue Bell Way is entirely new. It was constructed next to the old M6 that had a bend in it. The old M6 remained in use while the underpass was constructed. The old bridges over the M6 from the A59 to Broughton are named as follows: Pope Lane Bridge, Longridge Road Bridge, Preston to Longridge Railway Bridge, Sandy Brook Bridge, Sandy Hills Bridge, Newsham House Bridge, Hindley House Bridge. There was another bridge that had no name but I would call it “Hollins Bridge” after a nearby farm that was demolished years ago, and finally Durton Lane Bridge. The motorway then merged with the M55 at this point.

[@LoneWolf-Uk]

It`s an entertaining road to ride, on a 1000cc sports bike. ^^ Good ride out, thanks for sharing. Best wishes from the Lone Wolf in the lakes, just off, junction 36 of the M6. ;) 👍

[@Andrewjg_89]

Before the whole stretch of the M6 motorway was built. Was this used to be the A6(M) that bypassed Preston. Now the M6 connects from West Midlands to the Northwest, Merseyside and Peak District. With the M6 Toll that avoids Birmingham and the A38(M) interchange. Could you do M32, A48(M), M49, M621, M606, M602, A627(M), A666, A58(M), A64(M), A57(M), M54 and other smaller shorter motorways that you haven’t done.

[@JenOnTheMove]

No A6(M) has ever been constructed

[@Andrewjg_89]

JenOnTheMove Really?! 🤔

[@s125ish]

EssexLad 8919 hi

[@Andrewjg_89]

Go away you bot

[@JadeEnby]

I have been on this stretch before

[@stephenduncan3605]

started with 2 lanes either side. Now got 4 lanes either side!

[@DaveBeaven-tx2tp]

It was originally 2 lanes with continuous hard shoulder before being widened to 3 Lanes. Due to the narrowness of all the old bridges the hard shoulder had to break at each bridge when it was widened to a 3 lane motorway. That was one of the factors that contributed to its widening into 4 Lanes in the 1990s. They had the black and white Glasden plastic Road marker posts at each bridge to warn motorists the hard shoulder ended at each bridge. Most of the M6 was lit in the late 1980s. The crash barrier dictated whether lighting could be installed on the central reservation or not. The areas that had lighting at the hard shoulder couldn’t be in the centre because there was only one crash barrier on the central reserve. The twin crash barrier where the twin central lighting columns used to be before the motorway was widened was more modern looking. The crash barrier has a square C section to that it than traditional ‘3’ section. We used to call Sandy Brook bridge “Rainbow bridge” when I was a kid. It’s the banana shaped bridge with steps just north of the Longridge railway line. All the bridges had names. Sandy Brook Bridge along with Sandy Hills bridge and Hindley House Bridge were all demolished on the same night on April 1993 and were the first to be demolished. They were demolished by Gregory Demolition based in Essex. Gregory Demolition was a sub contractor to Balfour Beatty throughout the widening contract. They blew up Pope Lane Bridge linking Moornook with Redscar with controlled explosives in April 1994. They new footbridge was already in place. They brought a demolition contractor based in Heysham called Tim Butler to help remove the debris from the bridge the day after. Ruttle plant Hire and Clive Hurt did a lot of work on this motorway. Wonder if they ever remember someone taking a lot of photos? Balfour Beatty was based in Croydon at the time.

[@manomaylr]

Completely unrecognizable from the original. Was it called M6 from the start? Also are there smart motorway plans?

[@nicholastr]

It has always had the title "M6", even though the official scheme that would decide how motorways would be officially numbered would be introduced years later. Additionally, as of yet, Highways England is not planning to make this stretch a smart motorway, probably due to the fact that the road does not require an extension, as it is four lanes in both directions from J30 (M61 (M65(E)) and J32 (M55 (A6(N)) - which would likely eliminate the chances of it becomming an all-lane running, or dynamic hard shoulder variant of smart motorway. Additionally, it includes variable speed limit signals on overhead gantries (although they are not the new realistic-looking signs used on smart motorways) which would also rule out the possibility of it just being a controlled motorway (where the technologies that a smart motorway has are implemented, but the road layout does not change).

[@manomaylr]

@@nicholastr Why MS4 systems can't be introduced I don't know. VMSL on AMI or MS4 signals is all that is needed to make this stretch 4-lane smart.

[@neilwalsh4058]

Originally I think it was just called the Preston Bypass?

[@metro_ken]

They could make it a controlled motorway scheme, like the M60 smart motorway scheme, with variable speed limits, MS4s and speed cameras, I’d love that to happen because most of the time it is just hell, and in this situation the controlled motorway scheme would be quite helpful

[@JalanBax]

Manomay La-Rayakar The M6 Preston Bypass is completely unrecognisable nowadays because of a widening scheme in the 1990s.

[@francisbaybayan8311]

is this the actually the first motorway in the uk?

[@JenOnTheMove]

Yes it is

[@neilwalsh4058]

Definitely is, a big plaque under the bridge on the A59 states it. Despite a lot of people (mainly southerners) claiming it was the M1, we up here in Lancashire had the first.

[@neilwalsh4058]

@@andrewchaston503 guilty as charged

[@stephenduncan3605]

@@neilwalsh4058 the first part of the M1 was the first to have 3 lanes as the Preston bypass only had 2 lanes.

[@neilwalsh4058]

@@stephenduncan3605 amount of lanes doesn't consistute whether or not its a motorway. M5 and M50 were built with 2 lanes. The A6144(M) was a single carriageway, didn't even have central barrier.

[@stephengorman8012]

Can I like your roads on the move or similar format have you got any more please example Derby to Sheffield on the M1 and elasped time with trance anthems please if you don't mind thank and let me know so I can download it please

[@simmerjohal138]

Hello beautiful hello friend hel hello beautiful beautiful woman