€1.7bn Stonehenge tunnel project in UK faces fresh legal battle
22 May 2024
It has been reported that campaigners who oppose the construction of a road tunnel near Stonehenge in the UK have won the right to challenge the outcome of a judicial review, which allowed the scheme to go ahead.
(Photo: Highways England)
Progress on the tunnel project has been delayed again by Save Stonehenge World Heritage Site (SSWHS), who oppose the UK government’s £2 billion (€2.3 billion) two-mile tunnel. They have now been granted permission to appeal the decision, and another hearing will take place.
Preparatory work by UK government-owned National Highways, expected to begin on Salisbury Plain this month, is said to now be delayed while legal disputes continue.
Work on the tunnel itself was expected to begin in early 2025, with more than one hundred archaeologists already hired and waiting to begin digging at the sites of the tunnel portals.
The three-way European MORE joint venture, consisting of Spanish contractor FCC, Italy’s WeBuild, and Austria’s BeMo Tunnelling, is lined up as the main contractor on the eight-mile stretch of road upgrade.
The FCC-led JV has enlisted Atkins, Jacobs, and Spanish designer Sener as the design joint venture.
Costain and Mott MacDonald have been awarded the £60 million (€70 million) contract to be the project’s Delivery Assurance Partner to help coordinate and oversee the construction of the scheme.
