A Path of Destruction? The Stonehenge Road Tunnel

Stonehenge, a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site in the south-west of the United Kingdom, is a prehistoric, megalithic structure. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1986. It lies alongside the A303, a major trunk road. The road cuts through the landscape and contributes to noise and air pollution, which affect visitors to the site. Since the mid-1990s there have been proposals to widen the A303 road and relocate it to a tunnel in order to increase the road’s capacity and remove road traffic from the view of the Stonehenge site. Although a road tunnel would have a positive effect on local journey times, noise and air pollution, and the overall visitor experience, there is also concern that tunnelling work would cause irreversible damage to Stonehenge and result in the loss of the monument’s UNESCO World Heritage Site status. This case will allow students to apply theories of risk management and benefits management, as well as to explore the role of cultural heritage in project risk management.