BLACKBURN MP Jack Straw and the town's council leader, Sir Bill Taylor, opened a congestion-busting bridge following its redevelopment.
The £2million Eanam Gateway was completed after a 13-month programme to create bus and cycle lanes to ease traffic.
Engineers constructed a second bridge over the Leeds Liverpool canal, as well as widening the road from Eanam to Copy Nook.
Graham Burgess, executive director for regeneration at Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, said: "Eanam is one of the town's major gateways and is a very busy route at peak times.
"The new bridge and highway improvements will make a real difference."
Council bosses believe the improvements are already paying dividends, with a £3.5million office complex for housing association Twin Valley Home in the pipeline.
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