Stonehenge - The bored tunnel option

[Herned]

Unfortunately not!
You may have missed it. Highways England were very clever in burying the bad news. Construction has been put back for two years.
On the HE website there is an news item about HEs new "Delivery Plan" https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... 18-to-2019
There is a pdf document to download. On page 48 of that document, disguised under the original scheme name of "A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down" is the news that the government cannot afford this scheme so it is now to be built with private money. It apparently takes two years to organise this. Thus the start of works date has gone back by two years.
No one seemed to be in a hurry to tell us this!

D.

Thanks for pointing that out... Yes, I hadn't seen that, nor seen it mentioned in the media, and I live in the South West where stories like this are most likely to be picked up. As Richard says above, it's not really a surprise when the consultation has only just closed. There is definitely a whiff of dishonesty about it, mentioning the preferred route in the Executive Summary but omitting the delay

[nowster]

Traffic definitely rubbernecking on the A303 on Saturday.

[Berk]

Traffic definitely rubbernecking on the A303 on Saturday.

I observed this too, during my visit.

Remove the stones from view, and congestion will dramatically improve.

[andrewwoods]

Traffic definitely rubbernecking on the A303 on Saturday.

I observed this too, during my visit.

Remove the stones from view, and congestion will dramatically improve.

Will it? Or will it be the fact that the dual carriageway will not come to an end? Surely that creates far more congestion than going past the stones.

[Johnathan404]

I wouldn't doubt for a moment that the fact this is the first section of S2 since London is a problem, but people who haven't been this way for a number of decades dramatically underestimate how many drivers are either trying to take a photo of the stones or helping a passenger get the perfect shot as they pass.

It has exactly the same effect as the rubbernecking at accidents which we hear so much about: driver 1 takes his eyes off the road and doesn't see that he's weaving around; driver 2 doesn't notice until the last moment so has to brake hard; driver 3 has to come virtually to a stop. Driver 1 then realises he's leaving a big gap so accelerates hard, as do the vehicles behind, then they all have to brake again when they all catch up.

[nowster]

I observed that the A30 beyond the stones (in both directions) was flowing freely yet approaching them it was extremely sluggish.

I'd deliberately approached Stonehenge from the north using the back roads and ignoring the signage, and the journey was unstressful.

[sotonsteve]

Whilst the end of dual carriageway does have an influence, people slowing down to look at the stones definitely seems to be the primary cause of congestion at Stonehenge. Whilst Stonehenge is the first single carriageway heading to the south west from London, heading away from the south west towards London it is the last of many. Despite this, traffic jams form in both directions. The end of dual carriageway heading eastbound isn't an issue. The village of Winterbourne Stoke doesn't seem to cause much of an issue either. Longbarrow Roundabout does slow things more, but often the stationary traffic continues well past here, and you end up with at best a 20mph crawl until Stonehenge is at your nine o'clock and suddenly everything speeds up to 60mph or more and traffic vanishes.

[Berk]

My last few visits to the area - it seems a convenient place to stop for a cuppa, and I have English Heritage membership, so I treat the visitor centre like my own services - I have actively tried to avoid the direct route past on the A303. The B3083/B390, and/or the A360 from Shrewton are recommended.

So there isn’t a localised issue with congestion - apart from traffic crawling past on the A303. You get to feel for the locals, especially in Winterbourne Stoke. They literally can’t leave their homes at some times. That’s how bad the situation is.

Though there are some benefits, notably in passing trade. It’s noticeable how Shrewton, Winterbourne Stoke and Chicklade Bottom all have a working petrol station and shop.

[Herned]

Has it really got that bad? I haven't been that way much in the last couple of years so it seems fair to say the closure of the car park has caused more problems than it solved

[NICK 647063]

I’ve always thought a massive cause of the congestion around Stonehenge on the A303 is simply down to the fact many many people slow right down to take in the sight along with trying to get photos, it’s a busy road so any slowing down has a knock on....

Although an upgrade is needed to get the A303 to dual carriageway why in the short term don’t they try a few other options, the fact is people visiting Stonehenge don’t want to see the A303 and people driving on the A303 should be driving not looking at the stones, so why not build an embankment alongside the A303, this could be planted up with large shrubs and wildflowers so nicely blend in, it in tern would reduce traffic noise at the stones and mean people driving on the A303 would not be distracted......... the idea is always to remove the new A303 from view so why not try something like this with the existing road.

[Norfolktolancashire]

I do love how its apparently "impossible" to improve trunk road near an ancient site that's had a road passing it since before it was built, but that drowning a Welsh valley for a resevoir takes about five minutes and provides BBC Natural History types with hours of "ooh gosh! would you look at that spinney-tailed weasel!" fun...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think there's been a Welsh valley drowned for a reservoir for over 40 years https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_r ... _by_volume

What with this year's droughts in England I'm waiting for someone to suggest a few new ones! However the point still stands. Modern English planners (especially in the south/south east) spend years worrying about the impact of a schemes on the view from someone's window and a few newts, while the really big schemes that are a long way from London (Hinckley C et al) get steamrollered through, especially if they're something "on message" like a wind farm or reservoir.

That's true!

There was a proposal for a large windfarm off Bournemouth/Poole/Christchurch in the sea that was cancelled due to the view, however there are now over 200 turbines in the Duddon windfarm off Blackpool and more being added as I speak!

By the way, I'm pro-wind power, just making the point about views from Vice Commander Lord such and such's view being spoiled from their pad on the South Coast.

[A320Driver]

Whilst the end of dual carriageway does have an influence, people slowing down to look at the stones definitely seems to be the primary cause of congestion at Stonehenge. Whilst Stonehenge is the first single carriageway heading to the south west from London, heading away from the south west towards London it is the last of many. Despite this, traffic jams form in both directions. The end of dual carriageway heading eastbound isn't an issue. The village of Winterbourne Stoke doesn't seem to cause much of an issue either. Longbarrow Roundabout does slow things more, but often the stationary traffic continues well past here, and you end up with at best a 20mph crawl until Stonehenge is at your nine o'clock and suddenly everything speeds up to 60mph or more and traffic vanishes.

Absolutely. It’s noticeably different during the hours of darkness too.

[Herned]

I’ve always thought a massive cause of the congestion around Stonehenge on the A303 is simply down to the fact many many people slow right down to take in the sight along with trying to get photos, it’s a busy road so any slowing down has a knock on...

I think it's fair to say that the presence of the stones doesn't help traffic, but the fundamental reason is the end of the dual carriageway. This is the traffic at lunchtime today (I was going to post it earlier but got dragged away from my laptop...). This shows that traffic was solid all the way from Countess roundabout to the end of the dual carriageway and then sped up after the merge. Exactly in line with my experience



I have been along the A303 and faced the same queues at the end of each section of dual carriageway all the way to the A358. Which was fun

[Jim606]

The announce of the delay until 2021 doesn't surprise me in the least. I wonder if they will still publish a scheme update/changes following the most recent consultation?

[J6onM27]

Drove past today, boreholes rigs are carrying out work from Longbarrow roundabout on south side of the A303 towards the stones.

[D.J]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-w ... e-45918392

Looks like this story slipped out under the radar.

[Berk]

Will take about 13 months to go through examination. And then up to 3 months before the orders are made.

[wrinkly]

https://infrastructure.planninginspecto ... tonehenge/

[Berk]

Is the scheme ready to progress in the year 2020/21?? That’s realistically the earliest it could gain approval.

[Jim606]

Will take about 13 months to go through examination. And then up to 3 months before the orders are made.

Thanks for the info. The next stage is for the scheme to be accepted - so that it can be taken forward with the Development Consent Order (DCO). I guess this will be a formally? Once this happens (by Friday 16 Nov. 2018), then a more detailed timetable of the planning stage will published. Highways England have said that the scheme put forward is essentially the same as the one in the final consultation with a 150m green bridge at the western end, a redesigned A360 Stonehenge Visitor Centre junction and no link between byways 11 & 12. I do wonder if anymore concessions or amendments will be made once the scheme is examined in detail by the inspectors? I did wonder about another smaller green bridge? We'll have to wait and see.