HIGHWAYS England have just awarded a £17.5 million contract to come up with yet another preferred route for the A303 tunnel and associated works.

The announcement specifically includes the word “tunnel”, – surely this means another £17.5 million of our taxpayers’ money is being wasted.

There are now at least three totally validated reasons why the tunnel idea is not worth spending any more money on: 1. Recently, reports tell us that the overall gradients in the constructed tunnel would make it difficult for HGVs and coaches to progress through the tunnel safely, let alone cars pulling large caravans.

2. The truly historic Blickmead site is immediately adjacent to the entrance of the Amesbury end of the tunnel.

This site must be preserved.

Or is the plan going to recommend the road goes on stilts from Solstice Park – which would prove to be a bit noisy for most Amesbury residents.

3. The millions of tons of soil from a tunnel – together with the required emergency services and ventilation plant – would be placed where in the World Heritage Site?

Are we going to build a new Silbury Hill of the chalk waste for archaeologists of the future to marvel over, or just spread it over half of Salisbury Plain – seriously, where will the waste be put, and how will it get there?

Simple maths says for each million tons of waste, there will be over 33,000 lorry movements.

That is over 1,200 a day – every single day – over a two year period.

Talking to other local residents, there is another elephant in the room – previous consultancy exercises have apparently uncovered massive problems with regards to drainage – think of all that water coming off the plain down to the River Avon – it must run straight under the existing A303 – is that a fourth reason this is another £17.5 million wasted?

All of the above make the whole tunnel idea something that is past its sell by date.

We need to concentrate on a scheme that incorporates a much needed Salisbury bypass – a new road, following a new route – that will be far far cheaper, and far less intrusive on the World Heritage Site.

Highways England are supposedly aware of Andy Rhind-Tutt’s excellent idea – but despite that, it seems they are wasting another £17.5 million on investigating a tunnelled option.

I despair!

ADAM WOODS Amesbury