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The Stonehenge road tunnel is a controversial tunnel in Wiltshire, England proposed by the Highways Agency to upgrade the A303 road. It would move the A303 into a tunnel under the Stonehenge World Heritage Site and close the A344 road.^[1] The project is designed to improve the landscape around the monument and to improve safety on the primary A303^[2] and is a part of proposals to change the site in other ways including moving the visitors centre.

Contents 1 Background 2 Proposal 3 Review 4 References 5 External links

The A303 is one of the main routes from London to the South West of England. Sections have been upgraded to dual carriageway status, though sections of the route remain single carriageway. Traffic flows on the A303 between Amesbury and Winterbourne Stoke (the section including Stonehenge) were above the capacity of the road^[3] and the resultant traffic congestion have resulted in The Guardian naming it one of the country's most congested roads^[specify] and the Highways Agency expressing concern about safety on the roads.^[2] The two roads currently pass through land owned by the National Trust^[4] with the A303 passing directly south and the A344 directly to the north with a pedestrian tunnel passing from the Stonehenge visitor centre to the site underneath this road.

As part of the development of the proposals, over 50 routes were considered by the Highways Agency.^[5]

In 1995 it was proposed to build a tunnel for the A303 underneath the World Heritage Site.^[6] A conference agreed on a 2.5 mile (4km) bored tunnel, however the government instead proposed a cut and cover tunnel, with plans being published in 1999.^[6] These plans were criticised by the National Trust, Transport 2000 and others who expressed concern that it would cause damage to archaeological remains along the route, destroy ancient sites and not achieve an improvement in the landscape.^[7][8]

In 2002 new plans for a bored tunnel of 1.3 miles (2.1km) were announced by the Secretary of State for Transport as part of a 7.7 mile (12.5km) plan to upgrade the A303 to dual carriageway status, with the tunnel estimated to cost £183m.^[9] This proposal brought further protests from the National Trust, English Heritage, UNESCO, CPRE, the Council for British Archaeology^[10] and local groups as the tunnel approach cutting would cut in two a prehistoric track way between Stonehenge and a nearby river.^{[citation needed]} These groups are calling for a tunnel at least 2.9 km long, which would, while being sited within the world heritage site clear most of the known major artefacts, claiming that if the government goes ahead with the 2.1 km tunnel there may never be another chance to remove the road from the site completely.

In 2004 a public enquiry required under the Highways Act 1980 was conducted by a planning inspector, Michael Ellinson. His enquiry agreed that the government proposals were adequate.^[4] The report stated:

“

The physical loss of archaeological remains, the changes to the land form in these sections, and the scale of the new highway would adversely affect the authenticity of the site and more than offset the benefits of the proposed tunnel in the central area. The published scheme would represent the largest earthwork ever constructed within the World Heritage Site; a feature that would contribute nothing to the authenticity.

”

but concluded:

“

I conclude, therefore, after taking into account the requirements of local and national planning, including the requirements of agriculture, that it is expedient for the purpose of improving the A303 between points A and B on the plan referred to in the Line Order for a trunk road to be provided along the route shown in the Line Order

”

On July 20, 2005 the tunnel scheme was withdrawn by the Government, partly due to rising costs of construction, which have doubled to £470 million.^[11] The Highways Agency continues to list the project as planned, but now gives 2008 as the earliest date for the start of construction.^[2]

On October 31 2005 a Government steering group was set up to look at possible solutions,^[12] with the aim of choosing an "option in keeping with the special requirements of the location that is affordable, realistic and deliverable." The review presented 5 options - the published tunnel scheme, a cut and cover tunnel, a 'partial solution' (involving a roundabout but maintaining the current road), and two overland bypass routes.^[13][14] Some of these plans have been criticised as being damaging to both archaeology and biodiversity, including the stone curlew, barn owls, bats, and the chalk grassland habitat.^[15]Five options were considered including diverting the A303 further away and only closing the A344.The group expected to produced a report in 2006, taking into account the results of public consultation which started in 23 January 2006 and ran until 24 April 2006. A ministerial decision has not been announced.

It is not known if a new public enquiry will be required and no date for the commencement of construction has been given.

• Stonehenge planning enquiry website
• The Stonehenge Project.org
• Highways Agency A303 Stonehenge site
• The National Trust's proposals for Stonehenge
• Council for British Archaeology’s Stonehenge/A303 timeline
• Campaign to save Stonehenge
• 'Stonehenge: Celebration and Subversion' by Andy Worthington (chapter on Stonehenge road tunnel)