National Highways identified 8 areas for improvement along the A303/A358 road corridor to tackle notorious traffic hotspots.  To realise the Stonehenge scheme’s strategic benefits all 8 schemes must be completed. Only 3 schemes have been funded, and one of these has been withdrawn.  The Stonehenge section will simply move traffic to the next jam a few minutes faster.

• There is a traffic problem across the World Heritage Site (WHS), especially at week ends and holiday time.  At other times, in the main, traffic free flowing.
• A further problem peculiar to Stonehenge is that cars slow down to take photos of the famous monument, and traffic can build up.
• The absence of a comprehensively funded programme means that the Government’s ad hoc road widening scheme past Stonehenge is the wrong solution.
• In 2014, National Highways (known at the time as Highways England) identified eight areas for improvement along the A303/A358 road corridor, including the section by Stonehenge.  These are shown in the map below.

• Of the eight schemes shown in the map above, three have been funded: one scheme is in construction, one is in development (A303 Stonehenge) and one (A358 section) was shelved at the end of November 2023.
• In its scheme 2019 assessment, the National Audit Office concluded that the benefits of the A303 Stonehenge scheme could only be realised if all eight schemes in the corridor were completed.  Funding, however, has only been secured for three projects.  The remaining five schemes did not appear viable.
• Inflation and spiralling construction costs will diminish the value of completing the remaining five schemes, a decision that would need to be carried forward to a future government that might have other priorities. (See also NAO progress report 2022)
• Thus the new section past Stonehenge would simply move traffic to the next jam a little faster, so long as there are  no road works, no traffic incidents, no tunnel closures nor diversions to delay the journey to cancel the few minutes saved by the new £2.5bn dual carriageway.

Further reading

• Highways Magazine, 1 December 2023: DfT silent on new delay to A358 dualling scheme 
• National Audit Office, 2019:  Improving the A303 between Amesbury and Berwick Down | Summary and Full report  Assessment.
• Phil Goodwin (Slides, video and transcript) 24 June 2021: The transport case against Stonehenge scheme
• Phil Goodwin in Local Transport Today, November 2021: If you’re in a hole… it must be time to rethink Stonehenge scheme
• National Highways Presentation February 2016, Creating an Expressway to the South West
• Department for Transport, March 2015: A303/A30/A358 Corridor – Feasibility Study Summary 

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Please note: The Stonehenge Alliance has no connection with any other protest groups involved in direct action against A303 Stonehenge.

 

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