29-664: The A5758 road (also known as Broom's Cross Road or the Thornton Bypass ) is a 2.2-mile (3.5 km) single-carriageway road in Merseyside , England , constructed during 2014–15 and linking the A565 road in Thornton to Switch Island junction. The road is officially named the A5758 Broom's Cross Road, with Broom's Cross being the site of a medieval wayside cross near Thornton and
58-516: A Sefton Council committee meeting recorded that the road was being very well used, with noticeably less traffic on the roads it was bypassing, those being the Northern Perimeter Road and Lydiate Lane respectively. It was subsequently reported in January 2016 that a section of the road would need to undergo a series of repair works during the evenings of a three-week period, just five months after
87-410: A combination of the two, with the different styles, denoting whether passing (which requires a driver to move into the lane used by oncoming traffic) is permitted at a given location. Multilane roads use broken white lines between lanes moving in the same direction; at least one solid yellow line lies to the left of the lane which borders traffic moving in the opposite direction, and the right sideline
116-425: A general speed limit of 80 km/h (50 mph). In urban areas, the general speed limit is 50 km/h (30 mph). The maximum UK speed limit for single-carriageway roads is lower than the maximum for dual-carriageway roads. The National Speed Limit, which is lower for built-up areas, only applies in places where a lower numeric speed limit is not in place. The UK has one major single-carriageway motorway,
145-490: A new road as proposed, with the majority of those questioned strongly agreeing. Of those that did not agree to the preferred option, nearly a third (30%) expressed concerns that the proposal may result in increased congestion, whilst a quarter (25%) expressed a preference for the route to be constructed as a dual carriageway. During a further consultation held 2006, local residents and businesses were sent another questionnaire asking them how strongly they agreed or disagreed with
174-507: A public inquiry was held in October 2012. Subsequent to this, the government inspector approved the plans. Following Sefton Council giving their final approval in September 2013, construction was proposed to begin by early November 2013 for a period of around 12 months, with the financial benefits estimated to be in the region of £140–200 million over the 60 years post-construction. Following
203-423: A two-lane road. In keeping with the U.S. Department of Transportation 's Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), since the early 1970s, all numbered highways in the U.S. are striped by color to show the direction of traffic flow. Two-way undivided roads have a yellow center line (and, if there are baseline shoulder stripes, they are solid white on both sides). This center line may be solid, broken, or
232-443: Is a road with one, two or more lanes arranged within a one carriageway with no central reservation/median strip to separate opposing flows of traffic. A single-track road is a type of single carriageway with a single lane with passing places for traffic in both directions. An undivided highway ( American English ) is the term used for motorways with two or more lanes with no central reservation/median strip. Road traffic safety
261-441: Is collected by a kerb and gully system and discharged into four new attenuation ponds . The route is only lit where there are specific safety reasons for doing so, such as at junctions and crossings along the route. There are no footways along the route other than specific pedestrian crossing points. The road starts at Switch Island junction, with direct connections to its namesake motorways (M57 and M58 respectively), as well as
290-415: Is constructed as a 10-metre-wide (33 ft), two lane single carriageway with 1-metre-wide (3.3 ft) hardstrips and a 2.5-metre-wide (8.2 ft) verge, with an 80-kilometre-per-hour (50 mph) speed limit. The road has some sections on low embankment and others in shallow cutting where it runs close to existing residential properties, but is mostly close to existing ground level. Surface drainage
319-519: Is generally worse for high-speed single carriageways than for dual carriageways due to the lack of separation between traffic moving in opposing directions. The term single carriageway is used for roads in Ireland . Speed limits on single-carriageway roads vary depending on their classification: national primary roads and national secondary roads have a general speed limit of 100 km/h (60 mph), while regional roads and local roads have
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#1732858610995348-505: Is solid white. Drivers can always tell the direction of the traffic flow by looking at the striping coloration. Since successful experiments in the late 1960s, some urban undivided highways in the U.S. have had a central left-turn lane used by both directions of flow. Essentially, this configuration puts a turning lane in the position of where a median would be if the road were divided. These roads almost always have an odd number of lanes overall, usually five (two lanes in each direction with
377-532: The A38(M) , but a number of link roads at motorway interchanges are single-carriageway. No equivalent term exists in American English. A single carriage motorway in the U.S. would be termed an "undivided highway"; this is likely to mean a multi-lane road with only striping (paint) (but no median) between the two directions of traffic flow . A road with two lanes of traffic moving in opposite directions would be called
406-712: The A565 road . In 1990, a detailed proposal known as the Blue Route was submitted for planning permission, which would have involved a 4.7-mile (7.6 km) dual carriageway road between Switch Island and the Formby Bypass. This proposal was ultimately rejected by then Secretary of State for Transport in May 1995 despite favourable public consensus, on the grounds it would have negative impact on greenbelt land and be detrimental to conservation areas and protected species. A Sefton Council environmental statement in 2010 made reference to
435-549: The 6 years following construction of the road has been estimated to be in the region of £140–200M. The need for an improved route between Switch Island and the main Southport Road was first identified during the early 1930s. Around that time, workmen "pegged out" a route across farmland near Ince Woods which never materialised. Further proposals were discussed in 1968, during planning for the M57 , M58 , and M62 motorways. Shortly after
464-659: The A5036 and A59 roads which all converge at the junction. The road closely follows the route of the Northern Perimeter Road which is to its south, with the only major intersection being when it crosses the B5422 road. From there it continues in a northwest direction until it meets the A565 road , at a roundabout constructed as part of the scheme to improve efficiency for converging traffic. Several months after opening in December 2015,
493-489: The completion of land acquisition, contractors Balfour Beatty marked out the route of the bypass in October 2013 offering the first glimpse of where the road would be built. Initial land works began in January 2014 with an expected completion date in the final quarter of 2014. In November 2014 it was reported that the project had been delayed due to poor weather and ground conditions, with the completion date pushed back to Spring 2015. Despite this, construction works to connect
522-410: The considered options, Option 5 performed well during the appraisal process and was identified as being the preferred option to pursue by Sefton Council. A further consultation was undertaken in 2003, during which questionnaires were distributed to ascertain resident and business viewpoints on the proposal identified in the 2000 consultation; it determined nearly 80% of respondents agreed for the need of
551-632: The main terminus of the A5758 road. Some road users have noted that a lack of clear road markings and signage may be a contributing factor towards the traffic collisions, whilst Sefton Council noted that they continue to review the operation of the road and associated junctions. Following continued incidents at the junction with Switch Island, the council confirmed in July 2016 that it was in talks with Highways England and Merseyside Police with Bill Esterson , MP for Sefton Central , calling for changes to be considered to
580-463: The majority of respondents, with several different alignment suggestions being proposed over the years. Sefton Council gave their final approval in September 2013, with construction starting towards the end of the 2013 calendar year. The cost was in the region of £20.4 million, with the UK Government contributing £14.5M towards that and Sefton Council contributing £5.9M. The financial benefits over
609-420: The motorways opened, a number of proposals to allow traffic to bypass Thornton and Netherton were developed, given increased road traffic over the years that followed added to the congestion throughout Thornton. The location on where a road would be built was a controversial subject during the 20th century, due to close proximity to Ince Woods and environmental concerns. County planners of the time favoured widening
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#1732858610995638-553: The new road to the main junction at Switch Island concluded by the end of December 2014, with the second phase of works taking place mostly throughout the night in January 2015 to minimise disruption. The road surface began to be laid in February 2015 with a revised opening of Spring 2015 forecast. Reports in March 2015 confirmed that due to frost and rainfall, the date of opening had been postponed to at least May 2015. After further slippage in
667-404: The proposed alignment and the need to restrict traffic levels and speeds once the proposed road had opened. Of the 12807 questionnaires that were sent, 10.9% were returned, with a further 100 completed at public exhibitions and online; the majority of responses were in agreement with the proposed alignment. Following the 2006 public consultation, the scheme for a single-carriageway link to Thornton
696-444: The road numbering referencing the two motorways the road links to, the M57 and M58 motorway respectively. Discussions about the need for the road to be constructed date back to the construction of Switch Island junction, with numerous public consultations held throughout the years to ascertain public support and opinion on the need for the road and the alignment it would take. The consultations have produced favourable responses from
725-416: The road opened to traffic. A year after opening, road users were giving generally positive feedback, with some confirming that travel times had been reduced and offers a more convenient means of accessing the motorways, although a common recurring concern were the junction issues at Switch Island. Since opening, there have been reports relating to an increased number of road traffic incidents at Switch Island,
754-499: The road to improve safety. Plans were announced in February 2016 which proposed a new £200M road could be built through Rimrose Valley to link directly into the A5758 road in an effort to reduce the heavy congestion on the A5036 road ; Sefton Council rejected the proposal in March 2017, citing the desire to instead build a tunnel to overcome the congestion concerns. Single-carriageway A single carriageway ( British English )
783-413: The timescales, the opening date was revised from late June 2015 to 19 August 2015. The delay was explained as being due to needing to undertake additional work to stabilise the road foundation in two locations to make it suitable to lay tarmac on. The road finally opened on the evening of 19 August 2015, costing £20.4M in total, of which Sefton Council funded £5.9M (approximately 30%) of the cost. The route
812-525: The traffic congestion that had affected routes around the Thornton area for "many years", as well as the impacts to quality of life and the environment. In May 2000, a public consultation began which proposed six possible options, with the intention to understand the views and opinions of residents and businesses along the route between Thornton and Switch Island. Following feedback, six options were considered for possible highway construction, those being: Of all
841-453: Was given high priority and accepted in July 2006 by the then-Secretary of State for Transport, Douglas Alexander . Funding was approved by the Department for Transport in February 2011 when Sefton Council accepted the terms and conditions that has been proposed. After two objections were raised regarding the compulsory purchase order needed to acquire the land on which the road was to be built,
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