Lancashire County Council: Environment Directorate: Historic Highways

The Liverpool - East Lancashire Road was Britain's first purpose built intercity highway linking the cities of Manchester and Liverpool. A feature of the road even today is the large width of the land-take. The explanation for this is that the road, although built initially as a single carriageway, was designed ultimately to comprise triple carriageways - the two outer ones were to be for slower traffic and were to be added later when traffic levels justified it. This futuristic layout did of course not come to pass, the road was actually upgraded to dual carriageways. Its original title was Liverpool - East Lancashire Road indicating the original intention was to go from Liverpool to east Lancashire (not just Manchester) - a forerunner of the M62. The question of improving the means of road communication between the two Cities of Liverpool and Manchester had been under discussion among the commercial communities of both Cities as far back as 1912, and later became the subject of serious consideration. 3,000,000 for the whole length of the road from a certain point in the City of Liverpool to a point in Salford, in length 28 miles. The Lancashire County Council and the Corporations of Liverpool, BootIe and St. Helens, with the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board agreed to accept this offer and to contribute the balance of the cost, and it was arranged that the unskilled labour should be taken from each town :-that for the first 12 miles of road from Liverpool within the County area being assigned to Liverpool, BootIe and St. Helens, and that for the remaining 13 miles being recruited in the County Council's administrative area. The Minister of Transport and the contributing Authorities agreed that the Highways and Bridges Committee of the Lancashire County Council should be empowered to carry out the scheme within the Administrative County and the County Borough of St. Helens, and in April, 1927, convenient offices were opened, the staff was engaged, and designs, estimates and bills of quantities were prepared. (Retired 1934) County Councillor James Smith (Retired 1929) County Councillor George G. Schofield, Deputy Clerk of the County Council County Surveyor and Bridgemaster, Henry Swire, Engineer. Bressey, C.B., C.B.E., Chief Engineer, Roads Department, Ministry of Transport. Lyddon, O.B.E., M.lnst.C.E., Divisional Road Engineer, Ministry of Transport. Company, Limited, Contractors for the Construction of the Road. Wirksworth Quarries, Limited, Bank House, 286, Pentonville Road, N. Unaphalt (Roads ), Limited, Messrs. Kingston Road. The cutting of the first sod on the Liverpool-East Lancashire Road within the Administrative County was performed by County Alderman Sir John Aspell. Miller) of the length of the road constructed by Liverpool within the City. The line of the New Road passes through Rural, County Borough and Urban Districts avoiding built-up areas as far as possible. and does not materially shorten the distance between the two Cities of Liverpool and Manchester, but it was felt that as the old Liverpool and Manchester County Road (A. It will be seen that although the new road is only three quarters of a mile shorter than the old road, the journey is considerably lessened by the saving of time. Map of the new road - click for full size version During the time the final survey was being made, the Engineer had in hand the design of the road, and the points to which special consideration was given are as follows: 1. The Sub-Committee considered various designs submitted for their consideration, together with the method of construction, and was agreed that the road should be 120 feet between fences, narrowing down to 80 feet at bridges, and that for the present one central carriageway, 40 feet wide, should be constructed, flanked by a verge 4 feet wide and a footway 6 feet wide on each side. Provision has been made on the extreme flanks of the road for the laying of duplicate public service mains, and over bridges, chases have been left in the decking where there is insufficient cover. and many pipes have been laid across the road prior to its construction in anticipation of future development. Nineteen miles of the road are over the coalfields of Lancashire, many parts of which are active, causing movement and displacement 1e concrete raft, but it is now known where troubles are likely to occur and a record is being kept. On the length of road between Kenyon Junction Railway and the Bridgewater Canal, it was found that the land was low lying and liable to floods, and though at that time the Engineer had no information concerning the coal seams, it was felt that subsidence might occur. It was therefore decided to neutralise the effect of any possible subsidence within this particular area by placing the road upon an embankment varying in height from 4 to 12 feet above the existing ground level. The design of the road was such that when the earthworks were calculated it was found that 1,500,000 cubic yards could be excavated and consolidated in embankments, but a further 1,500,000 cubic yards were required to complete the embankments, and this material has ~en obtained by collecting ashes and burnt colliery refuse from the adjoining mills and collieries, and for two years the Contractors employed about 200 two-ton lorries for this operation, and the use of these lorries greatly assisted in consolidating the material. Of this length 23 miles 1,474 yards is within the Administrative County, and I mile 300 yards in the County Borough of St. Helens. It is of interest to note that the distance between the Town Hall of Liverpool and Manchester, via the new road, is 34 miles. The road is carried on a high level over a colliery railway, a district road, a Class 1 road and a Cattle Creep at Old Boston in the Township of Haydock. This was done in order that the danger of crossing with other roads might be minimised, the gradients maintained, and to prevent the road over such a short length being a switchback. The original scheme, as already stated, provided for circuses of 120 feet radius at the junction of all important roads, and it found necessary , owing to the speed of vehicles travelling along the road, to construct roundabouts at eight of the road junctions, at another important junction, with illuminated signs, in accordance with the latest regulations of the Ministry of Transport. This eminent firm of Contractors has most successfully carried through this important work of road construction within the time and sum mentioned in the Contract. Unaphalt (Roads), Limited. In addition, there are two miles of road on high embankment; in the valleys the minimum is 15,000 feet, and on the summits the minimum is 8,000 feet, the result being that providing two vehicles are climbing the gradient simultaneously, in the opposite directions, and the driver's eye is 5 feet above the road surface, they can see each other at a distance of at least 500 feet. Windle Hall Bridge The material used for the surfacing of the New Road comprises two coats of steam rolled asphalt to the British standard specification, and it is interesting to record that one of our oldest Colonies, Trinidad, has supplied a percentage of the bitumen used in the preparation of this material. The estimated cost of the road for the whole length within the Administrative County and the City of Liverpool was in the sum of £ 3,000,000, made up as follows : Administrative County and County Borough of St. Helens £2,750,000 City of Liverpool £