The UK Government is finalising its plans for the construction of a road tunnel close to the famous Stonehenge monument in Wiltshire. The 2.9km tunnel will carry the A303, a busy road that carries heavy traffic, particularly during the holiday season when large numbers of tourists pass through the area. The existing route passes close to the Stonehenge monument but the road is widely recognised as being unfit for purpose. As well as carrying cars, it handles a high percentage of large trucks, including heavy transporters carrying vehicles and equipment to and from the military bases in the area. Congestion can be acute and the two lane stretch running through a village close to Stonehenge is notorious for frequent delays, as well as being the cause of concern over its safety.
Building a new dual carriageway on the surface past the site would in no way be acceptable due to the presence of many smaller archaeological sites in the area around Stonehenge, a number of which have not so far been investigated. It is also known that there may be several archaeological sites close at hand that have not so far been discovered.
A tunnel has been proposed for this section of road on several occasions, with the first plan for a cut and cover tunnel being put forward in the 1990s but this was rejected due to the harm it would cause. A longer bored tunnel was then put forward in 2002 but after a number of revisions, it was also cancelled due to its high cost in 2007.
Unfortunately, the high cost of this tunnel is unavoidable as the geology of the stretch through which the tunnel is planned to run is poor, with fragmented rock and a high water table. It will need extensive structural support using concrete, as well as considerable drainage to meet the latest environmental requirements. The tunnel forms part of a £2 billion project to upgrade the A303 to dual carriageway status for its entire length.
The tunnel project has not been without controversy however. Some claim that building the 2.9km tunnel will threaten the archaeology of the area. Although the tunnel has been approved by the National Trust, the UK body responsible for preserving monuments such as Stonehenge, another group called Stonehenge Alliance is calling for a 4.7km tunnel to be built so as to preserve the archaeology. Given the additional cost this proposal is unlikely to be realised, but the construction of the 2.9km tunnel will still have hurdles to pass before it can get the official go ahead.
Building a new dual carriageway on the surface past the site would in no way be acceptable due to the presence of many smaller archaeological sites in the area around Stonehenge, a number of which have not so far been investigated. It is also known that there may be several archaeological sites close at hand that have not so far been discovered.
A tunnel has been proposed for this section of road on several occasions, with the first plan for a cut and cover tunnel being put forward in the 1990s but this was rejected due to the harm it would cause. A longer bored tunnel was then put forward in 2002 but after a number of revisions, it was also cancelled due to its high cost in 2007.
Unfortunately, the high cost of this tunnel is unavoidable as the geology of the stretch through which the tunnel is planned to run is poor, with fragmented rock and a high water table. It will need extensive structural support using concrete, as well as considerable drainage to meet the latest environmental requirements. The tunnel forms part of a £2 billion project to upgrade the A303 to dual carriageway status for its entire length.
The tunnel project has not been without controversy however. Some claim that building the 2.9km tunnel will threaten the archaeology of the area. Although the tunnel has been approved by the National Trust, the UK body responsible for preserving monuments such as Stonehenge, another group called Stonehenge Alliance is calling for a 4.7km tunnel to be built so as to preserve the archaeology. Given the additional cost this proposal is unlikely to be realised, but the construction of the 2.9km tunnel will still have hurdles to pass before it can get the official go ahead.
