A SURVEY is to be carried out to find the best route for the final section of Blackburn's long-awaited orbital roadway.

Councillors have asked town hall officers to identify the exact location for the road.

It will carry traffic from Montague Street to a new Freckleton Street bridge.

The new multi-million pound bridge is seen as the final piece in the jigsaw by planning officers.

Possible designs for the four-lane structure are due to be revealed soon.

Members of Blackburn with Darwen Council's executive committee have agreed to carry out a "masterplanning" exercise for the area, which will include finding a new route for traffic. A new road is seen by some at Blackburn with Darwen Council as a way of regenerating the whole Freckleton Street area.

The council recently completed a new road design at Eanam after making changes to the Bolton Road and Park Road.

Both sections of road are part of the orbital route, which was designed to keep traffic flowing around the town centre.

A council report said: "A new highway to join the new Freckleton Street bridge to Montague Street would improve access to the area, potentially attracting investment."

One local business urged the council to make the new route two-way after Frackleton street was made one-way as part of the orbital route scheme.

Carl Loffarelli, manager of TDP Northern, a builders' merchants in Freckleton Street, said: "What they should do is put it back the way it was and the expense would have been less. It has been to our detriment as it is difficult for us to get wagons out.

"What they are doing might improve it if they are changing it to two-way traffic.

"That would be better, because at the moment you have to go all the way around and there is so much traffic that it takes a very long time."