Transport in Preston Transport in Preston Preston is a city in Lancashire, around North-west of Manchester. The Preston By-pass was the first part of the M6 Motorway, the longest motorway in the country. It was made a motorway in 1958, being the first motorway in the United Kingdom. It is now the stretch between Junction 29 (A6 and M65, Bamber Bridge) and Junction 1 of the M55 (A6 Preston North), with four intermediate junctions – J30, J31, J31A and J32. The other motorway within the city is the M55 (Preston - Blackpool), and it is also served by the M65 (Preston - East
M6 motorway (Ireland) and the N6 Concessions Limited will be responsible for collection of tolls for a period of approximately 27 years. This scheme was a matter of some controversy at its planning stage. The environmental agency An Taisce claimed that the National Roads Authority's planned route would be "particularly destructive" in passing the site of the 17th-century Battle of Aughrim The decision to toll the route is also controversial, as the M4 motorway to/from Dublin, which connects with the N6/M6 route, is also tolled. This is effect meant that motorists would have to pay two tolls when driving between Dublin and Galway.