Everyone knows Stonehenge. That great, towering monument of massive time-worn stone pillars, placed in a circle. It's only one of the most famous landmarks in the world, and among Britain's greatest icons. It's an archaeological and historical wonder, dating back as far as 3000 to 2000 BC, and the British government has just approved of a plan to build a tunnel under the site, just to widen the nearby highway.
Traffic jams are enough to make anyone want to scream and maybe fling a few expletives around, certainly, but this? Stonehenge is nearly drowning in historical and archaeological value. There are possible archaeological treasures under the monument that, with the tunnel being built, will be lost forever. The resulting light pollution from both the tunnel and the construction will likely obstruct the view of the sun setting during the winter solstice, one of the most important dates at Stonehenge, where thousands of people gather to celebrate the shortest day of the year. And who knows if Stonehenge itself will be perfectly safe during the construction? What of potential damages to the stones? Accidents happen, after all.
Even with the construction of the tunnel, traffic won't lessen. Even worse, precious archaeological finds may be lost to the sands of time: as Andy Rhind-Tutt, chairman of Amesbury Museum and resident of the local chamber of commerce says, the tunnel will "put a time bomb of irreversible destruction on one of the world's greatest untouched landscapes."
But unfortunately, even with the uproar, the government is determined to build the tunnel. Chris Grayling, the Secretary of State for Transport, claimed that the tunnel is a major investment that will transform and benefit local traffic by "cutting congestion and improving journey times," as though that's so much more valuable than one's cultural heritage.
Stonehenge can be called the birthplace of Britain, historian Tom Holland argues, as its origins date back to the resettlement of the island after the Ice Age. So, what, avoiding traffic jams is an acceptable reason to potentially cause harm to one of the greatest historical monuments in the world?
