Stonehenge tunnel and A303 dualling to see investment

The dual-carriageway that runs from the Blackdown Hills in Devon to Popham near Basingstoke is often jam packed with cars and delays that can last hours.

But in two of the most congested spots on the route, that could be about to change, after a £27 billion investment in the road network across the country was announced.

Highways England have announced six major road upgrades, including dualling the A303 between Sparkford and Ilchester, near Yeovil in Somerset, within the next five years.

Additionally, they are planning the much-debated A303 tunnel between Amesbury and Berwick Down, near Stonehenge, to be open at some point beyond 2025.

Highways England Chief Executive Jim O’Sullivan said: “Our network is a vital part of everyone’s life. It has served the country well during the pandemic, keeping supermarket shelves stocked and enabling key workers to get where they need to be.  

“Over the next five years we will increase capacity where it is most needed and continue to upgrade more of the network which has suffered from decades of under-investment.  

“We now have a strong track record of delivering new schemes and operating the network for the benefit of our customers and the communities we serve, and the plan we’re launching today will protect and create jobs to aid the nation’s recovery, and make journeys faster and more reliable for freight and road users.”  

Other projects include dualling the A30 between Chiverton and Carland Cross roundabouts in Cornwall near Truro, and improvements to the A417 near Gloucester.

The decision on whether or not to build the tunnel underneath Stonehenge was delayed for four months in July "following notification of a recent archaeological find".

The deadline for the decision is now Friday, November 13, to "enable further consultation on and consideration of this matter before determination of the application by the Secretary of State [for Transport, Grant Shapps]".