What's with Stonehenge that has perplexed scientists and archaeologists for 5,000 years? To the people, the rock formations were set to be a spiritual place, while to the UK government, it's actually the answer to the country's traffics woes.
A tunnel will be built below the monument, called the South West Expressway, to ease traffic congestion in the region. It was announced last Thursday that the parliament gave the green signal to start construction on 2020 and will be completed by 2029.
According to its official release, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said, "This major investment in the south-west will transform the A303 and benefit those locally by cutting congestion and improving journey times." He also shared that the route will also boost the economy, linking people with jobs and businesses with customers.
"Driving forward our agenda to build a country that works for everyone and not just the privileged few." However, the project draws flak from groups and individuals that seek to preserve the monument.
The Stonehenge Alliance published a statement three years earlier regarding the government's plan. "The driving force for any activity within the WHS should be heritage, not the relief of congestion or stimulation of economic activity," they published.
The Amesbury Museum also shared the same sentiments last Thursday when they took to Twitter their dismay, "If you care about one of the World's most significant landscapes you will need to get to these consultations... Has the world gone completely mad? Who can't see that this is a complete and utter waste of public money?"
Tom Holland, a historian, posted on the Alliance's Facebook page, "The Government's decision to greenlight the Stonehenge Tunnel is a calamitous one." He continued to say, "It threatens untold damage to the most significant prehistoric landscape in Europe, and risks annihilating sites that promise to open a window onto the very beginnings of Britain."
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