By Tim Binnall
A controversial plan to construct a highway tunnel near Stonehenge has been scrapped by the British government. Given official approval to proceed in 2020 following previous failed attempts at enacting a similar idea, the project reportedly would have created a two-mile-long subterranean stretch of road at the World Heritage Site in the town of Wiltshire where the iconic monument is located. As one might imagine, the endeavor was condemned by many historians, archaeologists, and fans of the famed ancient site who feared that the expansive excavation would disturb the precious location.
To that end, in the ensuing years, the two-billion-dollar Stonehenge tunnel was the subject of various legal challenges that repeatedly delayed the start of construction initially planned for 2021. That said, the project continued to inch closer to fruition, causing UNESCO to caution in 2023 that they were considering listing the monument as "threatened" if the plan went ahead. The long-running fight over the Stonehenge tunnel finally ended this week when, to the delight of its critics and the dismay of its supporters, Britain's new Labour government announced the cancellation of the project citing budgetary concerns.