Skip to main content

Stonehenge tunnel controversy exacerbated by recent incident

The controversy surrounding the driving of a new road tunnel close to the UK’s Stonehenge monument has deepened following a recent incident. A 3m diameter hole was allegedly drilled through an important archeological find, a platform constructed of flint and animal bone, located close to the site Stonehenge. The platform is thought to have been erected some 6,000 years ago, making it older than Stonehenge itself, and preserves hoof prints made by aurochs, giant wild cattle that are now long extinct.
December 7, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

The controversy surrounding the driving of a new road tunnel close to the UK’s Stonehenge monument has deepened following a recent incident. A 3m diameter hole was allegedly drilled through an important archeological find, a platform constructed of flint and animal bone, located close to the site Stonehenge. The platform is thought to have been erected some 6,000 years ago, making it older than Stonehenge itself, and preserves hoof prints made by aurochs, giant wild cattle that are now long extinct.

The construction of the tunnel is a necessary project as the busy A303 route features just a single lane in either direction as it passes Stonehenge and the road is no longer fit for purpose. Traffic congestion are delays are frequent along this particular stretch of the A303 while there are serious concerns over safety. One of the biggest controversies surrounding the project however is that many believe the preferred route for the tunnel to be too short, risking damage to the historical site. There are also concerns that driving the new tunnel will affect the high water table in the area, potentially damaging other features of archeological importance.

Stonehenge is a 1384 Unesco world heritage site due to its historic importance.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • UK’s Stonehenge Bypass approved by Government
    July 17, 2023
    The UK’s Stonehenge Bypass project has been approved by the Government.
  • VIDEO: UN body protests England’s planned Stonehenge A303 tunnel
    May 1, 2018
    The Paris-based International Council on Monuments and Sites – Icomos- has objected to plans by Highways England for a road tunnel bedside the ancient monument Stonehenge. Icomos, which advises the United Nations on protection of world heritage sites, has written to Highways England urging a rethink of the planned tunnel that would be just under 3kmk long. It argues that the tunnel and the dualling of the A303 carriageways either side would damage the landscape and destroy archaeological evidence
  • More challenges for Stonehenge A303 scheme
    August 1, 2023
    National Highways’ Road Investment Strategy for England’s strategic roads has committed to upgrading many the remaining single carriageway sections of the A303.
  • Stonehenge tunnel contract
    July 24, 2019
    A contractor is now being sought for the UK’s Stonehenge Tunnel project. The work involves building a new tunnel and new stretch of dual carriageway, moving the busy A303 route away from the Stonehenge monument.