AN extra £1.65million will need to be found by cash-strapped Lancashire County Council to upgrade the central reservation on the M65 in part of East Lancashire.

County highways chiefs have gone back to the drawing board for the programme – for the section between junctions 10 and 14 – with costs now escalating from £2.64million to £4.3million.

And roads bosses have confirmed that the additional investment will now not see replacement lights covering the Burnley and Pendle stretch of the route.

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The Lancashire Telegraph, with backing from a number of MPs and emergency services, has lobbied for the lights to remain switched on for safety reasons.

Motorists have already been subject to a series of delays as the result of a separate £350,000 initiative, still underway, to repair safety fencing on motorway bridges and crash barriers near the structures.

Phil Barrett, director of Lancashire County Council’s highway services department, said: “The barrier along the central reservation of the stretch of the M65 maintained by the county council is in need of replacement.

“Since making the original estimate we have carried out a full assessment of the work required and done detailed designs to reach a more accurate cost.

“The revised estimate takes into account a number of extra costs including the need for further preparatory work to allow traffic to use the hard shoulder, and the need to relocate drainage.

“This will be included in a report to the cabinet member for highways and transport for a decision on October 10.”

County Coun John Fillis, the highways cabinet member, will consider the proposals next month before making a decision on the extra spending.

It is proposed that the scheme will get underway next year.