UK cancels £1.7bn Stonehenge Tunnel project

Andy Brown Head of Content, Construction and Engagement

30 July 2024

Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor of the Labour party, which recently won the general election in the UK, has announced that the £1.7 billion (US$2.1 billion) A303 Stonehenge Tunnel will “not move forward”.

Aerial view of Stonehenge (Image: Adobe Stock)

An aerial view of UNESCO World Heritage Site Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, UK. (Image: Adobe Stock)

The two-mile tunnel – which had been agreed by the previous Conservative government – had faced a number of legal challenges from campaigners. These included (UNESCO) recommending that Stonehenge be listed as ‘World Heritage in Danger’ due to the A303 upgrade scheme.

National Highways’ £1.7bn A303 Stonehenge (Amesbury to Berwick Down) scheme in the UK would have seen an A road in Wiltshire turned into a dual carriageway, including a 2 mile (3.3km) tunnel. The roads body has argued for the necessity of the scheme to reduce chronic congestion on the main road artery to the south-west.

The project had already announced contractors for what was expected to be a multi-year build. The three-way European MORE joint venture, consisting of Spanish contractor FCC, Italy’s WeBuild, and Austria’s BeMo Tunnelling, was lined up as the main contractor on the 12.8km-stretch of road upgrades. Costain and Mott MacDonald had been awarded a €70 million (US$74.8 million) contract to help coordinate and oversee the construction of the scheme.

Reeves said that the government was looking to fill a £22 billion (US$28 billion) “black hole” in public finances. Around £1 billion (US$1.2 billion) of unfunded transport projects that were to be brought forward in the next year will now be reviewed by the transport secretary to examine if they provide value for money.