Whats all this hoo ha about the proposed A303 stonehenge tunnel.?
Threats from Unesco to de list it from World Heritage status if the tunnel goes ahead?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-66843922
Whats the issue? Do they seriously think that a traffic jam (and there is always a traffic jam) 250 yards away is in keeping with the historical significance of the site?
You cant divert the road, the area is covered with barrows and other archaeological stuff, Tunnel makes perfect sense.
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The current road is actually not that intrusive. I went early one morning last year and walked the mile or so from the visitor centre along an old military (?) road. Larks were signing and, apart from the shuttle buses, otherwise it was very peaceful. Once at the stones I was not even aware of the main road.
As for that road it is a bottleneck and would benefit from being upgraded but would just speed you on your way to the next bottleneck. The archaeological problem with the tunnel is the the existing landscape is full of other monuments. I live in the area and local news is forever coming up with new bits of research showing that for a couple of miles around it’s rich in archaeological sites. There is 5000 years of history, some predating the famous stones. In that context any 21C tunnel, constrained by budgets, may well damage the wider landscape in ways we don’t fully understand.
The Victorians used to bring chisels to chip bits off the stones, ignorant of their full importance. We need to be very careful not to similarly muck it up for a transport system that will be long forgotten in centuries to come. My preferred solution would be to leave it much as it is or for a much wider bypass route that poses no archaeological risk.
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It not the idea of a tunnel as such that is the problem but rather the huge approach cutting to take a four lane highway and traffic interchange which cuts through an archeological site that is the problem.
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>> It not the idea of a tunnel as such that is the problem but rather
>> the huge approach cutting to take a four lane highway and traffic interchange which cuts
>> through an archeological site that is the problem.
Dont believe that to be the case. s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets.nationalhighways.co.uk/roads/road-projects/A303+Stonehenge/C_NH_A303_0015+map_V4_01.pdf
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>> The current road is actually not that intrusive. I went early one morning last year
>> and walked the mile or so from the visitor centre along an old military (?)
>> road. Larks were signing and, apart from the shuttle buses, otherwise it was very peaceful.
Try it two hours later. The traffic detracts from the layout of the site - Which is much larger and more complex than the stones itself.
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Is the issue with what I guess will be cut/cover tunneling?
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Is the idea to improve traffic flow or scenery? If the former then I would have thought widening the road wouldn't be that impactful.
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The reason there is jams is because everyone slows down to gawp. You'll have 4 lanes of standing traffic to add to the scenery.
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Thanks for the link to the map. Both tunnel entrances would be inside the World Heritage site boundary and relatively close to the stones.
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>> Thanks for the link to the map. Both tunnel entrances would be inside the World
>> Heritage site boundary and relatively close to the stones.
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As is the existing road, as opposed to a new cutting that cant be seen. The eastern end isnt near the stones or the actual in situ archaeology.
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The case against:
"The road and tunnel are being sold on a false premise: that they would enhance “Stonehenge” and the “World Heritage Site”. The triangular field, where the stone monument stands is one part a vast prehistoric landscape.
The Government proposes to widen the A303 trunk road to the south west. The 4-lane carriageway, twin-bored tunnels, tunnel, slip roads and deep cuttings would cross the iconic Stonehenge WHS: a landscape that is considered “the most archaeologically significant land surface without parallel”. The whole Stonehenge landscape has an outstanding universal value that is of immense significance for all people for all time, and this transcends any consideration of sorting out a 21st century part-time traffic jam.
The tunnel is too short: It is c.3km across a c.5km World Heritage Site. Whilst It improves the view from the stone monument the Expressway would cause a significant gash to the east and west of the WHS."
stonehengealliance.org.uk/top-10-frequently-asked-questions/
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>> The reason there is jams is because everyone slows down to gawp.
So, eighty nine trillion quid for a tunnel or £250 down the garden centre for a big hedge then.
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>> >> The reason there is jams is because everyone slows down to gawp.
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>> So, eighty nine trillion quid for a tunnel or £250 down the garden centre for
>> a big hedge then.
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Exactly my thoughts. Though like HS2 I’m sure they can start, destroy the local environment, and then abandon the project. By the time it’s finished most cars will be self-driving, defeating the point.
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Ach look, that road is mainly for getting people from Alfgarnetstan to Cornwall and back. Who cares? No one else goes there.
;-)
Last edited by: Runfer D'Hills on Wed 20 Sep 23 at 19:47
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Stonehenge Tunnel. - martin aston
