Reforming the A303: The Tunnel That Could Ruin One of England’s Oldest Historical Sites
By Freyja
With the oldest parts of Stonehenge being constructed 5,000 years ago, this iconic stone monument is one of the oldest prehistoric sites in the UK. Located in Salisbury, Wiltshire, the monument is a famous tourist attraction and an important cultural site for the area; the mystery of its construction has plagued English minds for centuries, though it is now understood by modern archaeologists and historians, the old myths of its creation are nothing short of supernatural, with many believing the site was raised magically by Celtic druids.
This magic, however, has been tainted by the closely passing highway, the A303. Since its construction, the A303 highway has constituted a major point for congestion. This highway runs extremely close to the site, a mere 165 metres; it is one of the UKs largest roads, travelling between London and Cornwall, and carries heavy traffic daily. The road ruins the experiences of tourists and spiritual groups visiting the site with its cacophony of honking horns and rumbling engines, and the ugly view of delivery trucks.
Plans to 'bury' the highway, converting it into an underground tunnel, have been met with controversy. Anna Eavis, curatorial director of English Heritage (the charity which currently cares for Stonehenge), comments on the plans, stating "Visitors will be able to experience Stonehenge as it ought to be experienced, without seeing an ugly snarl of truck traffic running right next to it." Despite the many reasons for the plan, forces of opposition have been protesting against the proposed tunnel highway, concerned with protecting the historical and spiritual integrity of the monument.
The A303 highway was opened in 1933 and was based on the New Direct Road of 1819. As one of the main roads to access England's southwest, it is unsurprising that such an outdated road is insufficient to support the daily traffic. Only 200 yards from the historic site, the four lane highway narrows to just two lanes. Proposition in favour of the tunnel conversion have argued that an underground highway would remove the visual and noise pollution which the current highway creates, returning the monument to its original state, and allowing site seers and spiritual visitors to experience the site in peace, the way it was meant to be experienced.
Alongside this, a major argument for the construction of the tunnel is the safety risk which the current highway constitutes. Passing by the south side of the site, the A303 runs scarily close to the main access point to the monument; the placement of the highway forces site seers approaching the monument on foot to cross the dangerous road. Eavis further comments on the safety benefits of the proposed plan, arguing that "Visitors will be able to approach the stones from the south, for example, without taking their life in their hands trying to cross the highway."
The proposed remodel of the highway intends to widen the road to four lanes as it approaches the monument; the road will then travel down into a tunnel that stretches two-miles underground, completely invisible from the stone monument - plans intend to introduce a tunnel on both sides of the monument. The tunnel is set to run 130 feet bellow the surface, tucking away the ugliness of the highway. The cost of the project was projected to be an estimate of £1.25 billion in 2020, the figure predicted to increase further due to the difficult geology of the site.
Petitioners are primarily anxious regarding the damage which construction could cause to the monument. Despite being one of England's most famous prehistoric sites, archaeologists know frighteningly little about the monument. In June 2020, twenty deep shafts were discovered around the sight, a shocking discovery when plans intend to tunnel into the ground around the site, ground which could be rich in archaeological evidence.
Furthermore, the potential for the loss or damage of evidence in the topsoil is concerning archaeologists. One archaeologist in particular, Michael Parker Pearson of the University College London's Institute of Archaeology, has commented on this concern, "The topsoil is where you get you get the vast majority of your archaeology". Pearson criticises the developers permit to sieve only 1% of the topsoil of the site, whilst his own past excavations of English Heritage sites such as Stonehenge have made him agree to sieve 100% of the topsoil.
English Heritage have attempted to quash these concerns, however, with a statement from Eavis; "The line of the road has been surveyed and archaeologically evaluated, and appropriate excavation and sieving strategies put in place to make certain nothing important is missed." These claims are further confirmed by archaeologist Mike Pitts, editor of British Archaeology - the publication of the Council for British Archaeology, who states that "The topsoil in the areas relevant to the tunnel project has been heavily plowed for centuries [...] All that's likely to be found is stone tools and debris from their manufacture, removed from any archaeological context"
Concerns of compromising the integrity and archaeological evidence of Stonehenge have led many to oppose the government scheme to convert the A303 highway into an underground tunnel; however, many who support the plans argue that the conversion will address a decades old issue, preventing traffic congestion and returning Stonehenge to its former glory.
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