Temporary traffic lights causing major delays on a route between Preston and Longridge are to be removed.
The much-delayed Grimsargh Bridge widening project has seen motorists and bus passengers sitting in queues for more than 45-minutes at peak times due to the traffic lights.
Now Lancashire County Council has revealed to Blog Preston two major changes to their plans for what’s known locally as Skew Bridge in Preston Road.
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The way the work is being carried out has been changed to remove the temporary traffic lights in the run-up to Christmas and they will only return for a two-week stretch in February in the run up to half-term.
A planned full closure of the bridge during the February half-term has also been shelved and will take place overnight instead.
Council highways chiefs say working with contractors AE Yates they have revised the closure plan to now run for up to 10 weekday night closures between 23 February and 6 March from 10pm to 5.45am.
Bus passengers who rely on the Stagecoach 1 service which goes along Preston Road are to be informed of an alternative as the closure will affect the final four bus services each evening.
Work began in June but was soon derailed when engineers uncovered ‘unknown drainage channels‘ under the section of the bridge being demolished.
Asked how they were able to remove the temporary traffic lights when part of the bridge had already been demolished, a county council spokesperson said: “We removed the footbridge which created an open edge at the south side of the bridge. To protect this open edge we had to install a temporary concrete barrier, these require a width behind them to operate safely.
“Once we have the southern abutment in place we can fill the area between the new sheet piles and the open edge, enabling us to move the temporary concrete barrier closer to the open edge while maintaining this safe operational width. This will allow removal of the lights as the width of the bridge will be as it was prior to the works starting.”
What do highways chiefs say?
The county council’s director of highways and transport Matt Townsend said: “We know the importance of Preston Road to travel in this area, and I’m pleased that we’ve been able to revise the schedule to minimise further disruption during the final stage of the project.
“It’s a complex piece of work and, though we planned for it very carefully, the delivery has not been as straightforward as we would have wished for.
“I’m grateful for all the feedback we’ve received from residents about the planning and communication of this scheme, both positive and negative, and we’ll look to learn from this for similar projects in future.
“I’d like to thank people for their patience throughout this work, and look forward to seeing the difference it will make to everyone’s journeys when finished.”
What’s changing?
Temporary traffic lights – will be removed in the run up to Christmas but will return from 4 February to 19 February 2026
Overnight closure – a previous plan to close Preston Road completely at Skew Bridge in February half-term in 2026, sending traffic via Broughton or the rural Haighton Green Lane has been shelved. Ten days of overnight closures will take place instead from 23 February to 6 March.
Completion date – the work had been due to be completed by November this year but as Blog Preston revealed the timescale has slipped to April 2026 for the final works to be finished. The county council say the road ‘will be open again fully’ from March 2026 but the completion of all works is listed as April.
Why is the bridge being widened?
The Grimsargh Bridge project, which has been in the works since 2022, is aimed at reducing delays particularly to the city’s bus services on the route.
Previously large vehicles, such as buses, would need to give-way to use the narrow bridge – although two cars could fit across.
The project is costing £2.2million and is being funded by the central government’s bus improvement plan and fund. The county council said despite the delays
Political pressure
City councillors, county councillors and the MP for the Ribble Valley have all been applying pressure to the county council over the delays being experienced by motorists and bus passengers alike.
The temporary lights had originally been due to be in place for just six weeks of the whole project but have remained in place since July causing gridlock regularly at peak times in mornings and evenings.
A public meeting was held at Grimsargh Village Hall last week where highways bosses heard direct from dozens of frustrated villagers.
Ribble Valley MP Maya Ellis, who organised the meeting, said: “I’m really pleased that Lancashire County Council responded so positively to my request to join a public meeting for residents, to talk through their questions about the bridge works in Grimsargh.
It’s really important to me that councils and all levels of government have regular communication with our residents, and I’m glad that everyone involved in the event last week all seemed keen to carry on the conversation.
“I know that not everyone agrees with the works, but I hope the evening helped explain why the decision was made by LCC, and I know that the team there really took on board feedback from myself and residents, that communications need to be better and more proactive in future.”
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