There is light at the end of the.......TUNNEL!!!!!

So! it's official, we're to have a DUALLED ROAD TUNNEL to fix the A303 as announced on Thursday last by Transport Secretary, Chris Grayling MP.   Here is the link to everything you ever wanted to know about how this project will be executed: www.highways.gov.uk/a303stonehenge/consultation

I've attended the first of the Public Consultations, times and dates of which are below.  Their intention is to commence work in the early part of 2020 and during my visit, I advised them that they need to start the work by March of that year... it being an election year and so the work must be well under way by May!!!!!
So if you read this before March 5th please attend one of the Public Consultations and have your say, here are the dates and times:

Those who are worried that the tunnel will be...."going right under the Stones" will find all the detail on the Highways web site and this diagram shows what a "Long Bored Tunnel" will look like in process and we may not even be aware of what's going on below our feet....some 50 meters below the World Heritage Site:
There are of course, those who would like to put the kibosh on the whole project because they think it will disturb The World Heritage Site and it's geology, artefacts and anything else that happens to be buried under ground.  The truth is....and we have this on good authority, there was nothing significant found in the area of the future project that would "set the world alight" or get anyone excited, so lets get a balance between the living and dead here eh?!!!   Stonehenge Alliance would say, if there has to be a dual anything....it should be at least 3.5 miles rather than the proposed 1.8 miles, now designed and confirmed by our friends at Highways England....a very approachable bunch of people who seem willing to listen.   What I would ask Stonehenge Alliance is this.... who would pay for the further 1.7 miles - presumably not them....not to mention the further 10 years added to the project.
Meanwhile, there's our friend Mr Andy Rhind Tutt - whom I have blogged on previously using the term Cock Womble.  He's carrying on his utopian vision to get a by-pass around Salisbury which incidentally, would start at Andover, head south to Salisbury and back up to the A303 at Berwick Down....some 34 miles longer than the present project.....but bugger the rest of us who have to put up with long waits on the A303 not to mention the RAT RUNNING through Shrewton and other villages: Here are some facts Mr Rhind Tutt:
Yesterday, the Speed Watch Team in Shrewton, registered a vehicle on London Road at 57mph...there are NO pavements on London Road and it has a left hand bend!!!!!!
During 12 days at the beginning of December i.e. not school holidays, our SID: Speed Indicator Device, registered 53,000 vehicles used London Road Shrewton, the fastest was registered entering our village at 75 mph!!! Of course we need a dual carriageway at Stonehenge.... to stop the RAT RUNNING through Shrewton!!!!!
You can read that story here: http://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/15018711.Campaigner_vows_to_fight_on_over_tunnel/?ref=eb
And how nice of John Glen MP www.johnglen.org.uk
to mention us, Stonehenge Traffic Action Group, in his latest press release about the tunnel.  Thank you John.

My last but not least mention, must go to One Anthony Bull a follower of Stonehenge Traffic Action Group - who posted up on Facebook "Your a star, you get things moving, I think I'll call you SENAKOT"
https://www.facebook.com/StonehengeTrafficActionGroup/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
Please "LIKE" our page!

 

   

A303 Consent Order Process 2

Many of you who follow this blog will have seen this "Development Consent Order Process" diagram on a previous blog.   Last Thursday 5th January, we held an update meeting here at STAG HQ.   Those present: Our contacts from the National Trust, Cllr Ian West, Dr Andrew Shuttleworth, myself and Dave Hassett as members of the STAG team.
We understood that "rooms" were booked in both Winterbourne Stoke and Shrewton village halls, for Highways England to present "Stage One" of the process for week commencing 9th January.....but.....nothing was set in stone as to the date or time of the presentations and when I called my contact at Highways England the following day, and asked "what about the rooms" she told me the rooms were provisional and confirmed what National Trust told us...that we're all awaiting further notice from "the black door" in Whitehall - the plot thickens!    Many e-mails going two & fro over the weekend told us that the presentations were pushed to the right and the room bookings may have to be cancelled for now anyway!    So, not too disappointed but things change as we all know in media and politics.... and they did - by Tuesday afternoon, it appears things are all back on track and there will be more on this in my next blog.....Exciting!

Such optimism back then eh?......it's now the 13th August 2022 and not a spade in site.  Project held up by them at Stonehenge Alliance as mentioned many times in this blog!!!😫😞