Back in December 2014, the Government announced that it would invest in a tunnel, nearly 2 miles long, to improve traffic problems on the A303, which is next door to Stonehenge. The proposed tunnel also has the added advantage of joining up Stonehenge with the surrounding landscape and hiding traffic, and its accompanying noise, from the UNESCO World Heritage Site and Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Plans for a tunnel were first proposed back in 1995 in order to protect Stonehenge and also to improve the visual landscape from the site, while at the same time, road improvement works will mean that the A303 can meet the traffic demand placed on it. Even though the latest plan is backed by the National Trust, English Heritage and Historic England, opinions have been largely divided, with some worried about the impact on archaeology.
However, it is clear that the decision will not be rushed into. The Government approached UNESCO to undertake a study into the proposed tunnel. The subsequent report produced by UNESCO concluded that "with good design and construction controls, and respecting archaeological and heritage management measures, the tunnelled length of road would be expected to have a beneficial impact on the attributes of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV)".
As a note of concern though, the report also states that the "siting and design of the tunnel portals, approach cuttings/embankments, entry/exit ramps, mitigation measures and the construction works have the potential to adversely impact OUV" and has recommended that these points are fully investigated, evaluated and assessed.
It seems then that the plan to build a tunnel to hide the road around Stonehenge is firmly back on the agenda, with careful consideration given to its design.
