Stonehenge tunnel project – controversy grows

Controversy surrounds the Stonehenge tunnel project in the UK. A report produced by Unesco has said that the plan to construct a 2.9km tunnel to carry the busy A303 route past the Stonehenge World Heritage Site should be reconsidered.
June 29, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
RSS

Controversy surrounds the Stonehenge tunnel project in the UK. A report produced by 1384 Unesco has said that the plan to construct a 2.9km tunnel to carry the busy A303 route past the Stonehenge World Heritage Site should be reconsidered. Instead Unesco is calling for either a longer tunnel to be driven or for the A303 to be rerouted to the south, away from the archeologically important area around Stonehenge and closer to the nearby town of Salisbury. Unesco is presenting its findings from the report to the World Heritage Committee.

The plan to build the 2.9km tunnel was finalised early this year by 8100 Highways England. But concerns have been expressed with regard to the visual impact of the portals for the new tunnel as well as the construction of the new four lane dual carriageway sections leading to and from the tunnel.

Archeological sites are distributed widely in the area surrounding Stonehenge and it is appreciated that more likely remain undiscovered so far.

What is not in dispute however is that the A303 route should be upgraded. At present the dual lane stretch running close to the Stonehenge site suffers from high congestion levels and long delays, particularly during holiday times when it carries more tourist traffic. The route also carries a high percentage of heavy trucks and there are serious safety concerns with regard to large vehicles passing through the small villages on the road.

Road Structures

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Widening and upgrade for highway in Nicaragua’s capital
    January 27, 2017
    Nicaragua is continuing to develop its highway network, this time with a major project planned for the capital, Managua. A loan worth close to US$107.5 million from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) is to help pay for the project. The work calls for the upgrade and widening of the Pista Juan Pablo II route running through Managua. The 9.55km stretch of road will benefit from three additional lanes, helping to boost capacity and reduce congestion and delays at peak periods. Safety pr
    Read More
  • Scotland’s new Queensferry Crossing over the Forth Estuary
    December 23, 2015
    The new Queensferry Crossing under construction in Scotland will be the third landmark bridge spanning the Forth Estuary - Mike Woof writes When the new Queensferry Crossing over the Forth Estuary opens at the end of 2016, it will be the third landmark bridge to be built spanning this short stretch of water. Lying alongside the existing road bridge and the historic rail bridge, this new structure will be as groundbreaking as the two earlier crossings were at the time of their construction.
    Read More
  • The Fehmarnbelt Tunnel, another Danish connection
    June 20, 2017
    The Fehmarnbelt Tunnel between Denmark and Germany is both ambitious and innovative, explains Susanne Kalmar Pedersen, project director at design engineering firm Ramboll, adviser to the client Fehmarn A/S. The ambitious Fehmarnbelt Tunnel - one of Europe’s largest ongoing infrastructure projects - is a priority project within the EU’s Trans European Network (TEN-T) programme. It will link the German island of Fehmarn with the Danish island of Lolland. The tunnel is an 18km immersed combined road and rail l
    Read More
  • Whale of a time
    May 16, 2014
    Motorists in the UK were left feeling decidedly ill due to a rather unusual load being transported along a busy dual carriageway. The drivers had the misfortune to be using the same stretch of road as a truck carrying the carcass of a dead whale.
    Read More

Highlighted Content