A585 Windy Harbour

Tony Gee designed the eastern section of the £162 million 5km bypass in Lancashire to improve journey times and reduce congestion. Tony Gee’s design responsibilities included all highway elements such as alignment for the mainline, two major intersections, and side road diversion, drainage, earthworks, road restraints, traffic signs and road markings, as well as, two highway bridges and a footbridge.

The new bypass comprised dualling of the existing single carriageway section of the existing A585 for approximately 1km, the remainder being an offline, greenfield route. Tony Gee also provided new cycleways to move pedestrians and cyclists away from the bypass into partially being in a flood zone and raised the alignment of the road in order to be above flood levels. Tony Gee also provided flood mitigation areas and culverts underneath the carriageway to ensure flood waters would not damage the highway.

Sustainable urban drainage measures were taken, including balancing ponds to ensure that the new highway did not did not exacerbate the flooding issue. Other environmental mitigation measures included treatment to all surface water runoff to remove pollutants, noise barriers and bunds to screen the highway from residents and reduce intrusive noise as well as mammal fencing and culverts to prevent wildlife accessing the highway and allowing it cross under the highway at safe location.

Challenges on the scheme included tailoring of the highways design to facilitate the construction of a new bypass and upgrade of existing interchanges whilst remaining allowing the existing road to remain open to traffic at all times and maintain access to existing residential and business properties.