Home l The need l New visitor facilities l Current situation l Option 1 l Option 2 l Option 3 l Option 4 l Option 5 l Closure of A344 l What happens next l Have your say l |
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Closure of the A344 page 1 |
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Proximity of A344 to Stonehenge © English Heritage |
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Daily flows on the roads network near Stonehenge (existing situation) © Highways Agency |
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Click on map to enlarge Download: Click on the document below Public Consultation Booklet (38 pages - 2.1Mb) |
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Highways Agency review ofthe A344 closure The closure of the A344/ A303 junction, whilst bringing desirable environmental and safety benefits (see ‘The need for new visitor facilities panel’) for the Stonehenge WHS, would affect the operation of the local road network. The Highways Agency has assessed the likely effects of closing the junction, compared with the effects of leaving the A344 open (the ‘do nothing’ scenario). 1
The existing situation – the ‘do nothing’ scenario The existing network illustrated above shows actual traffic flows in 2006 and forecast flows in 2012 (the assumed year of opening for new visitor facilities) and 2027 (15 years after opening) without any changes to the A303. Traffic flows are forecast to generally increase in the future and, with no changes to the existing network, the following effects are likely: • The flows on the A303 are likely to increase, but to a lesser degree to the east of the A344 junction, as this section of single carriageway has already reached capacity for much of the day. • The flows on the A344 by contrast reduce. This is due to the fact that the increasing traffic on the A303 makes it more difficult for traffic exiting the A344 to join the A303. This leads to traffic diverting to alternative routes. • Some traffic diverting from the A344 will take the A360 to the A303 via Longbarrow Crossroads. However, capacity restraints at Longbarrow will affect the attractiveness of that route. • Other traffic diverting from the A344 will take The Packway. |
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1 See HA report: A303 Stonehenge Improvement Scheme Review Partial Solutions, A303/A344 Junction Closure September 2007. (www.highways.gov.uk/stonehenge) |
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A344 and A303 junction © Highways Agency |
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