A59 road
Encyclopedia
The A59 is a major road in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 that runs from Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

 in Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...

, to York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...

 in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...

.

Merseyside

The A59 begins in the centre of Liverpool at the mouth of the Birkenhead Tunnel
Queensway Tunnel
The Queensway Tunnel is a road tunnel under the River Mersey, in the north west of England, between Liverpool and Birkenhead. It is often called the Birkenhead Tunnel, to distinguish it from the Kingsway Tunnel, which serves Wallasey.-History:...

, and heads north out of the city, first as Scotland Road
Scotland Road
Scotland Road or "Scottie Road" is the A59 and is situated near the docks in the Vauxhall area of north Liverpool, England.-History:Scotland Road was created in the 1770s as a turnpike road to Preston via Walton and Burscough. It became part of a stagecoach route to Scotland, hence its name...

 in Vauxhall, then Kirkdale Road, Walton Road and County Road, then as Rice Lane and to Walton Vale. It passes Aintree Racecourse
Aintree Racecourse
Aintree Racecourse is a racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside, England.It was served by Aintree Racecourse railway station until the station closed in the 1960s....

 as Warbreck Moor and Ormskirk Road (forming the boundary between Aintree
Aintree
Aintree is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside. It lies between Walton and Maghull on the A59 road, about north of Liverpool city centre, in North West England....

 and Netherton, before reaching the Switch Island
Switch Island
Switch Island is a road junction south of Maghull and near Aintree in Merseyside, England on the Liverpool rural-urban fringe. The junction is at the western terminus of both the M57 and M58 motorways, which converge on the A59 trunk road, the north-south route from Liverpool...

 junction, which is a large semi roundabout
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...

 semi traffic light
Traffic light
Traffic lights, which may also be known as stoplights, traffic lamps, traffic signals, signal lights, robots or semaphore, are signalling devices positioned at road intersections, pedestrian crossings and other locations to control competing flows of traffic...

 controlled junction, where the A5036
A5036 road
The A5036 is a road in Merseyside, England, which comprises two separate sections separated by a gap of .The northern section is a section of trunk road, travelling from Seaforth through Litherland before terminating at the Switch Island junction in Netherton...

, the M57
M57 motorway
The M57 motorway, also known as the Liverpool Outer Ring Road, is a road in England. Designed as a bypass road for Liverpool, it is long and links various towns east of the city, as well as the M62 and M58 motorways.-Route:...

, the M58
M58 motorway
The M58 is a motorway passing through Merseyside and Lancashire, terminating in Greater Manchester, England. It is 12 miles long and provides a link between the M6 motorway and the area north of Liverpool.-Route:...

 and the A59 all meet.

From the Switch Island junction the A59 travels through Maghull
Maghull
Maghull is a town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, in Merseyside, England. The town is located eight miles north of the City of Liverpool and south of Ormskirk in West Lancashire. The area of Moss Side also contains HM Prison Kennet and Ashworth Hospital. Maghull had a...

 and Lydiate
Lydiate
-Future:In 2009 planning permission was sought to be a marina on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal by Bells Lane.-Notable residents:*Ian Callaghan, former professional footballer, owned an insurance agency near the Weld Blundell....

, into Lancashire through Aughton and thence to Ormskirk
Ormskirk
Ormskirk is a market town in West Lancashire, England. It is situated north of Liverpool city centre, northwest of St Helens, southeast of Southport and southwest of Preston.-Geography and administration:...

. This part of the road follows the same route as the Merseyrail Northern Line.

Lancashire

At Ormskirk, it reverts from a dual carriageway to single carriageway, on an old bypass. North of Ormskirk the A59 passes through Burscough
Burscough
Burscough is a village and civil parish within West Lancashire in North West England, to the north of both Ormskirk and Skelmersdale.-Growth:...

 and Rufford
Rufford, Lancashire
-Population :-Economy:The village is largely rural with little or no industry. The farmland is grade one agricultural land. In the early 20th century the village was described as "one of the prettiest in South Lancashire" and was a destination for day trips from neighbouring towns...

, before reaching the traffic light controlled crossroads at Tarleton
Tarleton
-Population :-Economy:As a result of soil on the former mossland, a major economic activity in Tarleton is market gardening, particularly growing salad crops....

, where the A565
A565 road
The A565 is a road in England that runs from Liverpool in Merseyside to Tarleton in Lancashire. It is a primary route linking the town of Southport to Liverpool and to Preston ....

 joins. From here the road goes over the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
Leeds and Liverpool Canal
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is a canal in Northern England, linking the cities of Leeds and Liverpool. Over a distance of , it crosses the Pennines, and includes 91 locks on the main line...

 and River Douglas
River Douglas
The River Douglas, also known as the River Asland or Astland, is a river that flows through Lancashire and Greater Manchester in the north-west of England...

 via Bank Bridge then through Bretherton
Bretherton
Bretherton is a small village and civil parish in the Borough of Chorley, Lancashire, England situated to the south west of Leyland and east of Tarleton. Its name suggests pre-conquest origins and its early history was closely involved with the manor house Bank Hall and the families who lived there...

 and Much Hoole
Much Hoole
Much Hoole is a village and civil parish in the borough of South Ribble, Lancashire, England. The parish of Much Hoole had a population of 1,851 at the time of the 2001 census.-History:...

 before becoming the Longton
Longton, Lancashire
-External links:**...

 (and Hutton
Hutton, Lancashire
Hutton is a village and civil parish in Lancashire, England. It is located south west of Preston, in the South Ribble borough and parliamentary constituency.-History:...

) bypass.

The road passes the Lancashire Police HQ, before going through Penwortham
Penwortham
-Landmarks:Penwortham Priory was built for the Rawsthorne family and redesigned by the Cumbrian architect George Webster. The priory was demolished due to the rapid expansion of the area and the need for new housing...

 and into Preston. Once out of Preston the A59 meets the M6
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...

 at junction 31 between Lower Brockholes and Samlesbury
Samlesbury
Samlesbury is a small village and civil parish in the South Ribble borough of Lancashire, England. Samlesbury Hall, a historic house, is located in the village as well as Samlesbury Aerodrome...

.

After the M6, bypassing Blackburn, the A59 goes through Myerscough Smithy, veers left, and runs around the perimeter of Samlesbury Aerodrome
Samlesbury Aerodrome
Samlesbury Aerodrome is a disused airfield at Balderstone near Samlesbury, in the Ribble Valley district of Lancashire. The aerodrome is owned by defence company BAE Systems which uses the site for manufacturing of several aircraft types...

 (a British Aerospace
British Aerospace
British Aerospace plc was a UK aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was in the Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire...

 installation).
It then goes through Mellor
Mellor, Lancashire
Mellor is a village situated in the Borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is reasonably large in size for a village, with two churches, one Church of England Parish Church and one Methodist, as well as a primary school, three public houses and a hotel...

, Osbaldeston
Osbaldeston
Osbaldeston is a village and civil parish at in Lancashire, England about northwest of Blackburn and east of Preston.Osbaldeston is on the A59 road and lies on the south bank of the River Ribble opposite Ribchester. There is no Anglican place of worship but the Roman Catholic Church of St. Mary...

, Copster Green and Langho
Langho
Langho is a small rural village north of Blackburn in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England. It is part of the parish of Billington and Langho. The village is linked with Blackburn and Clitheroe by the A666 road and is served by Langho railway station on the Ribble Valley Line. To the north,...

 where it meets the A666
A666 road
The A666 is a major road in Greater Manchester and Lancashire, England. Known as Manchester Road, Bolton Road, or Blackburn Road, depending on which area it is in, it runs from its junction with A6 and A580 at the Irlams o' th' Height boundary with Pendlebury near Manchester, through Pendlebury,...

. At this point it bypasses Billington
Billington, Lancashire
Billington is a village in the Ribble Valley district of Lancashire. It lies between the town of Whalley and the village of Langho. It forms part of the Billington and Langho civil parish and contains the schools St Augustine's RC High School, St Leonard's Primary and St Mary's Primary.- External...

 and Whalley
Whalley, Lancashire
Whalley is a large village in the Ribble Valley on the banks of the River Calder in Lancashire, England. It is overlooked by Whalley Nab, a large picturesque wooded hill over the river from the village....

 before reaching Clitheroe
Clitheroe
Clitheroe is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is 1½ miles from the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. It has a population of 14,697...

 (another bypass) and Chatburn
Chatburn
Chatburn is a village located in the Ribble Valley, East Lancashire, England. It is situated in a hollow between two ridges north-east of Clitheroe, just off the A59 road. It lies near Pendle Hill, which is to the east of the village. The River Ribble flows to the west of the town...

.

After Chatburn the road goes past Sawley
Sawley, Lancashire
Sawley is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is situated north-east of Clitheroe, on the River Ribble. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire....

 before going through the village of Gisburn
Gisburn
Gisburn is a village, civil parish and ward within the Ribble Valley borough of Lancashire, England. It lies northeast of Clitheroe. The parish of Gisburn had a population of 506, and the ward had 1287, recorded in the 2001 census....

 (which is said to have been spelt 'Gisburne' for hundreds of years until the railway came along and a railway employee missed the "e" off the station sign).

Yorkshire

From Horton
Horton, Lancashire
Horton is a village and a civil parish in the Ribble Valley District, in the English county of Lancashire. It is near the town of Barnoldswick. Horton has a place of worship. For transport there is the A59 road nearby.- References :...

 it enters North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...

 and goes through West
West Marton
West Marton is a village in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately west of the market town of Skipton and is on the A59 road.Together with East Marton it forms the civil parish of Martons Both....

 and East Marton
East Marton
East Marton is a village in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately west of the market town of Skipton and is on the A59 road. The Leeds and Liverpool Canal passes through the village on the descent from Foulridge to Leeds.Together with West Marton it forms...

 before a roundabout junction with the A56
A56 road
The A56 is a road in England which extends between the city of Chester in Cheshire and the village of Broughton in North Yorkshire. The road contains a mixture of single and dual carriageway sections, and traverses environments as diverse as the dense urban sprawl of inner city Manchester and the...

 after which the road passes Broughton
Broughton, Craven
Broughton is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 81. The village is situated on the A59 road, about three miles west of Skipton.-Broughton Hall:...

. Afer passing through Broughton, the road meets the Skipton
Skipton
Skipton is a market town and civil parish within the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is located along the course of both the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the River Aire, on the south side of the Yorkshire Dales, northwest of Bradford and west of York...

 bypass at its western end, where it overlaps the A65
A65 road
The A65 is a major road in England. It runs north west from Leeds in Yorkshire via Kirkstall, Horsforth, Yeadon, Guiseley, Ilkley and Skipton, passes west of Settle, then continues through Ingleton and Kirkby Lonsdale before terminating at Kendal in Cumbria....

 on its route between Kendal
Kendal
Kendal, anciently known as Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish within the South Lakeland District of Cumbria, England...

 and Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...

. Skipton bypass was opened in 1981, providing welcome relief to the town, which often became a bottleneck as through traffic crossed in the town. The concurrent bypass crosses the B6265 north of the town, and then de-merges with the A65 to the east of the town.

The A59 was upgraded to primary status during the 1990s due to its increased perceived importance as an east-west route. It then passes over the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway
Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway
The Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway is a heritage railway in North Yorkshire, England, . It is part of the former Midland Railway branch from Skipton to Ilkley . The E&BASR currently runs from Embsay via Draughton and Holywell to Bolton Abbey station, a distance of...

 through a roundabout junction with the B6260 before rising up Beamsley
Beamsley
Beamsley is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is just within the boundary of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and about six miles east of Skipton and two miles north of Addingham. The parish borders West Yorkshire to the south. According to the...

 hill, which was two lanes eastbound (uphill) and a single lane westbound during the incline - which was improved at various points during the 1980s. At the top of the hill, the road crosses into the Harrogate district
Harrogate (borough)
Harrogate is a local government district and borough of North Yorkshire, England. Its council is based in the town of Harrogate but it also includes surrounding towns and villages...

. At this point, there is a long narrow descent on the edge of a huge ravine
Ravine
A ravine is a landform narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streamcutting erosion. Ravines are typically classified as larger in scale than gullies, although smaller than valleys. A ravine is generally a fluvial slope landform of relatively steep sides, on the order of twenty to...

, down to the village of Blubberhouses
Blubberhouses
Blubberhouses is a small village and civil parish located in the Washburn Valley in the borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, a county in the north of England. It is situated to the south of the Yorkshire Dales national park, and to the north of a Roman road and Fewston Reservoir.The village is...

.

The A59 then runs along the head of Fewston Reservoir
Fewston Reservoir
Fewston Reservoir is located in the Washburn valley north of Otley and west of Harrogate in Yorkshire, England. It was built in 1879. The capacity is about 3.5 million cubic metres. It can be found from the A59 road....

 and follows the route of a Roman road past the 'golf balls
Radome
A radome is a structural, weatherproof enclosure that protects a microwave or radar antenna. The radome is constructed of material that minimally attenuates the electromagnetic signal transmitted or received by the antenna. In other words, the radome is transparent to radar or radio waves...

' at Menwith Hill, an RAF station. The road then declines towards Harrogate
Harrogate
Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...

 passing Kettlesing, and the Knabbs Ridge wind farm
Wind farm
A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...

. In Harrogate it meets the A61
A61 road
The A61 is a major trunk road in England. It runs from Derby to Thirsk in North Yorkshire. From Derby, it heads north via Alfreton, Clay Cross, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Barnsley, Wakefield, Leeds, Harrogate and Ripon...

 Ripon Road, and continues through the suburbs of the town, avoiding the centre. This is largely due to the history of the town - Harrogate's centre was traditionally known as 'Low Harrogate', whilst the A59 travels through 'High Harrogate'. This stretch of the route is claimed to be the busiest road in North Yorkshire. Part of this section travels across the Stray, an act-protected tract of grassy land which horseshoes around the town. The A59 then turns left at the Empress Roundabout, which is itself on the Stray, towards Starbeck - although traffic travelling towards York is directed onto the A661
A661 road
The A661 is an A road running between Wetherby and Harrogate in West and North Yorkshire, England. The road is approximately in length....

 to utilise the Harrogate and Knaresborough Southern Bypass (A658). The A59, however, continues to travel through Starbeck, then heads east to Knaresborough
Knaresborough
Knaresborough is an old and historic market town, spa town and civil parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located on the River Nidd, four miles east of the centre of Harrogate.-History:...

.

The remainder of the route is comparatively flat. From Knaresborough the A59 meets up with York-directed traffic from Harrogate on the A658, and skirts to the north of Goldsborough
Goldsborough, North Yorkshire
Goldsborough is a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated near the River Nidd and 1 mile east of Knaresborough....

 towards the A1(M). Originally the route went through the village of Flaxby
Flaxby
Flaxby is a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It is in close proximity to the A1 road and east of Knaresborough.Flaxby was once part of the wapentake of Claro....

 and onto Allerton
Allerton Mauleverer
Allerton Mauleverer is a village in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It is part of the Allerton Mauleverer with Hopperton parish....

, but the route now travels a stricted east-west route and meets the A1(M) at its junction 47. The road then passes to the south of Green Hammerton
Green Hammerton
Green Hammerton is a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the A59 road and 10 miles west of York....

. Originally it ended here, with the A66
A66 road
The A66 is a major road in northern England which in part follows the course of the Roman road from Scotch Corner to Penrith. It runs from east of Middlesbrough in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire to Workington in Cumbria...

 routed down from Boroughbridge
Boroughbridge
Boroughbridge is a small town and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated northwest of York. Until its bypass was built, it was on the main A1 road from London to Edinburgh...

 and going into York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...

. Now the A59 itself heads towards York, travelling close to such places as Nun Monkton
Nun Monkton
Nun Monkton is a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated north of York at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Nidd. Cottages and houses are grouped around a village green of with a duck pond and a maypole...

, Upper Poppleton
Upper Poppleton
Upper Poppleton is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York in North Yorkshire, England. It is situated by the West bank of the River Ouse adjacent to Nether Poppleton, and west of York close to the A59 from York to Harrogate. The village is served by Poppleton...

 and Moor Monkton
Moor Monkton
Moor Monkton is a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the Ouse and north west of York.Moor Monkton is a peaceful village with around 110 houses and a handful of unique businesses....

 before finally ending just to the west of the city walls
York city walls
The English city of York has, since Roman times, been defended by walls of one form or another. To this day, substantial portions of the walls remain, and York has more miles of intact wall than any other city in England...

 at a zebra crossing at the junction of Bishopthorpe Road and Nunnery Lane which is the A1036.

Road Safety

The A59 has persistently featured in the top 10 most dangerous roads in Britain http://www.eurorap.org/library/pdfs/20060531_UK_risk_map_results.pdf. In 2008 European Road Assessment Programme
EuroRAP
European Road Assessment Programme is a non-profit road safety organisation which aims to reduce death and serious injury on Europe's roads...

reported the risk of being involved in a death or disabling injury accident as being between Low-medium and Medium-high depending on the section of road travelled http://www.eurorap.org/road_lookup?search=y&map_type=risk&country=GB&road=a59.

In 2004 The Times reported on the lives of those who have lost loved ones on this road http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/article483799.ece.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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