By a correspondent
Indications from an official survey pin the famous Stonehenge traffic jam and local traffic ills on a westbound bottleneck on the A303 west of Countess Roundabout, where two lanes become one at a point 1.25 miles (2.00 km) inside the World Heritage Site (WHS). If we focus on this foremost problem, the situation and obvious solution becomes remarkably clear cut.
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The WHS is 3.5 miles wide so only a 2.25+ mile tunnel avoids damage (of massive tunnel entrances, minimum 0.5 miles of new 4 lanes, plus an unknown effect on the water table). The obvious cheap relatively instant solution that will cause least archaeological damage (if detours are deemed impossible and a long tunnel prohibitively expensive) is a second westbound lane added by altering near as dammit the current footprint. Inducted as a clearway, 20,000+ travellers every day still get to glimpse the stones and the English Heritage/National Trust island theme park won’t exist purely for the mere 400–5,000 daily paying customers. The National Trust can always add a temporary A303 pedestrian underpass below the causeway at Stonehenge Bottom (a private one stands near Vespasian’s Camp) and we can spend the next 5-10 years campaigning and saving for a 3.5+ mile tunnel.
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The Heritage Journal 
9 comments
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03/12/2014 at 09:43
Edwin
Apart from wanting a longer tunnel later I agree that this is a reasonable solution/
03/12/2014 at 09:45
Edwin
Should clarify that I am against any tunnel and should have said “apart from you wanting later”
03/12/2014 at 10:37
Dave Davies
Why stop there! double up and the traffic problem is sorted!!
03/12/2014 at 11:10
Keith Macdonald
is it pointing out the “bleeding obvious” to say that the westbound traffic eventually comes back as eastbound traffic, which is just as bad at times? So this solution, good as it is, only solves half the problem.
03/12/2014 at 12:09
Brian
Keith, the blockage appears to be due to a majority trying to get away westbound between 16.00 Friday and 14.00 Saturday, whereas their staggering their return leads to far fewer hold ups. Not to say eastbound hold ups don’t happen, just that it is less of a pressing issue.
03/12/2014 at 12:32
Iris Holden
NO to tunnel, we love seeing Stonehenge as we drive past, if people want to travel to get to their destination I recommend between 01.00 and 03.00 for a traffic free journey.
03/12/2014 at 20:52
Jan
If people don’t want to sit in traffic then don’t make the journey. That said, if you are stuck in traffic, what better site is there than Stonehenge to gaze at as you pass the time.
05/12/2014 at 09:42
Billy
Yes what better view is there and what is the name of the persons wishing to take that view away lets see their names because I don’t think there is very many of them?
31/12/2014 at 15:36
Jim606
Dear Heritage Action, I believe you are on the right lines with your above post by wanting to utilise the A303 embankment at Stonehenge Bottom for a pedestrian tunnel. I wouldn’t however, add an extra lane to the A303 but I would widen the existing paths instead. Such ‘shared-use paths’ have been created alongside the Weymouth bypass in Dorset and on the South Downs near Brighton using crushed stone and shallow foundations so that they can blend into the landscape. A new coach drop-off point could be created at the end of the Stonehenge Road (Amesbury) junction could be widened to create a couple of parallel service tracks which would allow pedestrians, cyclists and some limited (special – permit) farm and maintenance traffic to be separated out from the main road. English Heritage could even establish a cycle hire business at the visitor centre.
Stonehenge can get very busy during the summer months and a new layby would help to reduce congestion. Visitors would alight and then use the new subway to cross the A303 before walking up to the stones via the old A344 pathway. A slightly longer route via the Avenue could also be taken. After seeing the stones, visitors would then take the land train to up to the visitor centre to exit before re-joining their coach.