The Western Daily Press front page headline on the 12th September announced the £1.6 billion plan to bury the A303 40 metres below ground in a 1.8 mile long tunnel at Stonehenge.
The WDP reported that The National Trust, Historic England and English Heritage said in a joint statement:
"This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reunite this ancient landscape which is currently severed by a huge volume of road traffic. We welcome the amended route and believe it can, if designed and located with the utmost care, deliver a lasting legacy for the world heritage site and restore peace and tranquillity to the Stonehenge landscape."
Roads minister Jesse Norman said it would provide an economic boost to the entire South West by improving traffic flow between London and the region.
I am not convinced it is worth spending £1.6 billion, the cost of 3 NHS hospitals, in order to cut 15 or 20 minutes off the journey times of those in London and the South East who wish to hurtle through Wiltshire and Somerset on their way to and from their holiday destinations in Devonshire and Cornwall.
Furthermore, it does not seem fair to deprive travellers on the A303 of a glimpse of England's most historic monument.
I had this brief letter, written only partly in jest, published in the Western Daily Press on the 14th September.
It may be cheaper to move Stonehenge!
The cost of building a 1.8 mile tunnel to bury the A303 out
of sight of Stonehenge is reported to be an eye watering £1.6 billion – almost
£1 billion per mile. I wonder if it may
be less expensive to dig up and move Stonehenge instead?
S.W., Ilminster.
No comments:
Post a Comment