A59 road

A59
Route of the A59 road across Northern England
A dual-carriageway stretch of A59 near Clitheroe
Route information
Maintained by Lancashire County Council Liverpool City Council North Yorkshire Council Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council York City Council
Length	109 mi[1] (175 km)
History	1936 (designated the A59)
Major junctions
West end	Liverpool 53°24′34″N 2°58′58″W / 53.40951°N 2.98276°W / 53.40951; -2.98276
Major intersections	M53 M57 M58 M6 A1(M)
East end	York 53°57′15″N 1°05′38″W / 53.9541°N 1.0938°W / 53.9541; -1.0938
Location
Country	United Kingdom
Counties	Merseyside, Lancashire, North Yorkshire
Primary destinations	Liverpool Preston Clitheroe Skipton Harrogate York
Road network
Roads in the United Kingdom Motorways A and B road zones
← A58 → A60

The A59 is a major road in England which is around 109 miles (175 km) long and runs from Wallasey, Merseyside to York, North Yorkshire. The alignment formed part of the Trunk Roads Act 1936, being then designated as the A59. It is a key route connecting Merseyside at the M53 motorway to Yorkshire, passing through three counties and connecting to various major motorways. The road is a combination of historical routes combined with contemporary roads and a mixture of dual and single carriageway. Some sections of the A59 in Yorkshire closely follow the routes of Roman roads, some dating back to the Middle Ages as salt roads, whilst much of the A59 in Merseyside follows Victorian routes which are largely unchanged to the present day.

Numerous bypasses have been constructed throughout the 20th century, one of the earliest being the Maghull bypass in the early 1930s, particularly where traffic through towns was congested. Portions of the route through Lancashire were proposed to be upgraded to motorway standard during the mid-20th century, latterly being downgraded to significant improvements then ultimately withdrawn from consideration. Sections of the road have previously been noted as being amongst the most dangerous in the country, particularly in Yorkshire, despite continued efforts to improve road safety.