Stonehenge Tunnel: A360 section to close for three months

The road tunnel has the backing of Wiltshire Council, English Heritage, the National Trust and Historic England

A section of the A360 in Wiltshire is to be closed for three months ahead of the A303 Stonehenge upgrade, Highways England (HE) has said.

The transport secretary approved the £1.7bn upgrade last year, against the recommendations of planning officials.

A judicial review of the government's decision is due to be held in London from 23 to 25 June.

An HE spokesman said plans for the closure of the A360 "in no way pre-empt the outcome of the judicial review".

The government agency said it was "aiming to be on site" later in the summer and "one of the first things that needs to happen is to connect an electricity supply".

It said the A360, between The Avenue and Longbarrow junction on the A303, will be closed from the first week in September to December so high voltage cabling can be installed.

During the closure, traffic will be diverted via the A345, and part of the A303 and A36.

'Put plans in place'

David Bullock, from HE, said "without the full closure", the work would take a lot longer to complete.

"We have deliberately avoided the summer holiday season, and we're also working towards completing the work ahead of the Winter Solstice," he said.

"We acknowledge a legal process is ongoing, but in terms of the construction timescales, we need to put plans in place for the work, and the plans in no way pre-empt the outcome of the judicial review process."

The tunnel is part of a £1.7bn investment in the A303 between Amesbury and Berwick Down

The Planning Inspectorate had recommended Transport Secretary Grant Shapps withhold consent for the upgrade, warning it would cause "permanent, irreversible harm" to the World Heritage site.

But Mr Shapps said the need for the development "outweighed any harm" that might be caused.

Save Stonehenge World Heritage Site (SSWHS) has challenged the decision because it believes the two-mile (3.2km) tunnel will cause "significant harm" to the area.

The project, expected to take five years to complete, is scheduled to get under way in 2023.