Major road changes could see drivers deal with long delays near one of the most popular tourist attractions in the UK over the coming months.
National Highways has confirmed that essential work on the “transformational” A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down upgrade past Stonehenge is scheduled to start in April.
The developments will see the power supply installed to prepare for future construction and the building of the tunnel.
Because of this, a section of the A360, between the junction of The Avenue and Longbarrow junction on the A303, will be closed for three months from early April, just after the Easter Bank Holiday weekend.
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A recent High Court case which ruled in favour of the scheme
PA
This follows a recent High Court case which ruled in favour of the scheme, with National Highways now “firming up plans” for the essential utility work.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) will be installing high voltage and fibre optic cabling along the south of the A303.
The work will be carried out seven days a week, with some overnight work, to enable work to be completed before the summer holidays.
During the closure, traffic will be diverted via the A345 and sections of the A303 and A36, according to National Highways.
A comprehensive signage system is being developed to inform road users around Salisbury and as far away as Devizes and Shaftesbury to point traffic to alternate routes.
David Bullock, National Highways’ Project Director for the A303 Stonehenge scheme, said: “The road scheme will ultimately tackle the longstanding issue of rat running and provide a real benefit to local communities, and for this essential preliminary work, we’ll be doing all we can to put in measures to lessen the impact of this work.
“We need to carry out the work now to ensure our programme timescales and we want to give local communities as much notice as possible.
“We appreciate that roadworks and road closures can be frustrating and we’d like to thank motorists, local residents and businesses in advance for their patience.”
He added that the project was being set up deliberately to avoid the summer holidays, although acknowledged that the work could impact Whitsun Week traffic and the Summer Solstice.
National Highways said it would be “working hard” to minimise disruption during those times.
It stated that without a full closure, the work would take much longer to complete, as it confirmed it is looking to keep adverse impacts to an absolute minimum.
Traffic monitoring will be carried out on various locations along the diversion routes in the week commencing March 18, and again in mid-April to measure traffic flows.
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National Highways are set to begin work in April
PA
Other provisions will be made to ensure emergency services, local landowners, residents and businesses are not massively affected by the closures.
Discussions are expected to take place with residents close to the A360 shortly to assess any changes that need to be made.