Stonehenge tunnel project on the A303 near Salisbury paused

By Jordan Elkins@JelkNQ

Senior Reporter
26th April, 2024

Artist's impression of the Stonehenge tunnel. (Image: National Highways)


Preliminary work on the Stonehenge tunnel has paused and members of the public have been invited to find out more.

National Highways' £1.7bn scheme to build a tunnel on the A303 will not go ahead until the outcome of a legal appeal against a High Court judgement is determined.

It was announced on February 19 that a second judicial review of the Government's decision to approve the Stonehenge tunnel was unsuccessful.

Anti-tunnel campaigners from Save Stonehenge World Heritage Site argued the development consent remained unlawful and will be appealing this decision at the Court of Appeal.

Read more: Stonehenge tunnel to go ahead as High Court appeal rejected

The preliminary tunnel work, which has been paused, includes archaeological fieldwork and civils work.

National Highways will tour Salisbury and its surrounding villages next week with representatives from contractors Wessex Archaeology and Octavius, offering residents the opportunity to ask questions about the project.

Andrew Clark, National Highways’ senior project manager, encouraged people to come along.

He said: "We’re continuing to work with heritage groups and other stakeholders, and the information events offer the opportunity for local communities, businesses and other interested parties to find out a little more.

“It’s a chance to meet face to face with the teams and for local residents and groups to ask questions about the current enabling works, and to find out more about the scheme in general, and we encourage people to come along.”

Meanwhile the A360 between Longbarrow roundabout and The Avenue roundabout remains closed until mid-July to enable SSEN to install underground cabling to power the tunnel.

SSEN representatives will be attending the information events to answer any questions.

Up-to-date details on the A303 Stonehenge upgrade are available on the scheme website, and for any further queries ahead of the public information events, people are advised to email info@a303stonehenge.co.uk.