The A565 starts in Liverpool at the junction with the A5052 road and A5053 road respectively, at the south end of Great Howard Street; a spur also heads southbound from this junction for 0.3 miles (0.48 km).[2] From Liverpool, the road follows a north-bound alignment through Bootle, Crosby and on to Formby where it passes along a bypass. After the bypass, the road heads towards Southport where it meets the A570 Scarisbrick New Road before continuing north-east through Banks and into Lancashire, ultimately reaching Tarleton where it meets and becomes the A59 road.[1]
History
19th century
Much of the present day A565 route from Liverpool to Thornton is unchanged since the Victorian age.[3]
20th century
A bypass of Formby, now forming part of the A565 was constructed during 1936–1937 at a cost of £195,463 (equivalent to £15,931,169 in 2023). It was opened on 10 December 1938 by Lord Derby, with the ceremony taking place at the Southport end of the road. At a width of 120 feet (37 m) and length of 4 miles (6.4 km), it shortened the route by nearly 0.75 miles (1.21 km).[4] The Ministry of Transport provided a grant of 60% towards the construction cost.[5]
The A565 route was included in the Trunk Roads Act 1946, designated in its route from Bootle through to Tarleton.[6]
Liverpool City Council announced in 2016 that they had appointed a construction company to create a new dual-carriageway road in Liverpool, involving the widening of Great Howard Street and Derby Road, a 1.7 miles (2.7 km) stretch, at an expected cost of £18million,[8] which had risen to £22million by the time the work started in May 2017.[9] The council deemed the works necessary given the road would be a vital route for freight traffic to and from the Liverpool2 deep water container terminal, in addition to an associated tunnel and bridge which required replacement, having failed a structural assessment.[10]