Stonehenge Tunnel Tender

Start of Construction 2021Scope The Stonehenge Tunnel is a proposed project that will run underneath the Stonehenge World Heritage Site WHS to improve the 13km-long A303 between Amesbury and Berwick Down past Stonehenge in Wiltshire UK. Developed by Highways England the Stonehenge scheme is an important part of improving connectivity along the A303A358 road corridor from the south-east to the south-west of England. The A303 improvement project is a part of the UK Governments 15bn 18.5bn road investment strategy. Construction of the project is expected to be commenced in 2021 upon receiving planning consent while the tunnel is expected to be opened to traffic in 2026. The total estimated cost of the project is 1.7bn 2.1bn. The A303 corridor is an important link between south-east and south-west in which 56km of the road is a single carriageway. The single carriageway sections of the A303A358 corridor between Amesbury and Berwick Down are heavily congested causing delay on the existing road past Stonehenge. A new dual carriageway route to the south-west of England is proposed to reduce the congestion by increasing the roads capacity. The need for A303 Amesbury and Berwick Down corridor improvements is one of the top five projects in the 2016-2021 national infrastructure delivery plan. The A303 Amesbury and Berwick Down improvement project will primarily include improvements to the existing 13km-long road and the construction of a 3.3km-long twin-bore tunnel under the Stonehenge WHS. The Stonehenge Tunnel will support economic growth in the region by creating employment opportunities. The project is expected to reduce congestion on the A303 at the centre of the village. It will also reduce the journey time between Amesbury and Berwick Down from 60 minutes to ten minutes during peak hours. It will also provide easy access to visitors for exploring the site with the new byways. New rights of way will be created in order to improve accessibility for cyclists walkers and horse riders. Highways England appointed the Arup and Atkins joint venture as the design consultant for providing the preferred option of the Stonehenge project. AECOM was awarded an eight-year contract by Highways England to supply design and consultancy services for the A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down improvements scheme. The multi-disciplinary services are delivered by AECOM in partnership with Mace and Mouchel.