Preferred contractor to take on A303 Stonehenge scheme revealed

National Highways has announced the MORE joint venture, comprising FCC Construcción, WeBuild and BeMo Tunnelling, as its preferred choice for construction along the A303.

This £1.7 billion upgrade, between Amesbury and Berwick Down, will create eight miles of dual carriageway, a tunnel of at least two miles under the World Heritage Site, 50 metres away from the Stonehenge monument, a new bypass to the north of Winterbourne Stoke and junctions with the A345 and A360.

READ MORE:

- 'This tunnel ignores heritage, the environment, statistics and common sense'

- How to find out the latest on £1.7billion A303 Stonehenge scheme

Despite contractors identified, the planning application for the transformational scheme is still pending redetermination by the Secretary of State for Transport.

This follows the quashing of the decision to grant the Development Consent Order last year.

National Highways: An illustration of how the tunnel will be built under the World Heritage Site, further away from the Stonehenge monument (Image: National Highways)

Derek Parody, National Highways project director for the A303 Stonehenge scheme, has assured the contract will only become live once the Secretary of State has concluded the planning process.

“The announcement of a preferred bidder in no way pre-empts any decision, and once that is finalised, and should the Development Consent Order be granted, having a contractor in place will put us in the strongest possible position to deliver this transformational scheme and deliver the benefits we know it can,” he said.

Mr Parody added the scheme’s benefits include “unlocking congestion” and “conserving and enhancing the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage Site”.

“We’re pleased we have now identified our contractors”, he added, “they are internationally renowned and they will also be making best use of considerable UK skills by using a range of local, regional and national suppliers and contractors to help them deliver the scheme.” 

National Highways project team previously engaging with local communities at Stonehenge

In a statement the joint venture said: “For the companies that are part of the MORE JV this project is a clear example of the development of sustainable, innovative infrastructures that not only provide traffic solutions but also improve people’s quality of life.

“It is also an opportunity to demonstrate the experience and international technical capacity of the companies of the MORE joint venture.”

The controversial project resurfaced earlier this week, with the National Highways ‘Chatty Van’ touring Salisbury and the surrounding areas to provide more information about plans instore.

When the exhibit was in the city centre on Tuesday, it was greeted with protestors from various backgrounds and groups, who believe the venture “ignores heritage, the environment, statistics, and common sense”.

Protestors from Stonehenge Heritage Action Group, Stonehenge Alliance and the Arthurian Warband joined forces against the planned tunnel - Picture by Spencer Mulholland

Get more Salisbury news. 

You can also like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date, as well as signing up for one of our newsletters.

If you want online news with fewer ads, unlimited access and reader rewards - plus a chance to support our local journalism - find out more about registering or a digital subscription.

Email newsdesk@salisburyjournal.co.uk with your comments, pictures, letters and news stories.