Atkins/Arup awarded design contract for Stonehenge tunnel plan
A design team has been appointed by the government to develop proposals for a tunnel on the A303 near Stonehenge.
Highways England announced Atkins/Arup will devise a preferred route to be taken to public consultation as part of the £15bn improvement project. A bypass of Winterbourne Stoke also forms part of the plan for the heavily congested stretch of road between Amesbury and Berwick Down. The A303 is a key route in the area and links London with the south west. Andrew Alcorn of Highways England, said: "This award takes us another step closer to our commitment to deliver the A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down improvement scheme. "Now we have Atkins/Arup on board to help with developing options for the scheme and pre-construction planning, we will be able to take the next step towards making this scheme a reality." The £17.5m design contract has been awarded under a government investment scheme aimed at delivering "large-scale improvements to England's strategic roads". Following the preferred route announcement, Highways England will draw up a development consent order application, which will be examined in public by the Planning Inspectorate, before a final decision by the Transport Secretary. Work on the proposed scheme is expected to start by April 2020.