Plans to dig a vast tunnel near Stonehenge to relieve congestion on the A303 could bring a £4billion boost to the South West.
Research reveals that unclogging the A303 around Wiltshire would have a major knock-on effect for the entire West Country, enabling holiday makers easier access in, and manufactured goods a smoother passage out.
The South West Business Council said its study predicts that just by completing the , it would bring a £4billion uplift to the regional economy over 20 years.
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And if there were further improvements to the A303, particularly by dualling the A303 between Honiton and the M3, it would bring an overall £40billion boost during the next two decades, as it would ease access to Southampton and other south coast destinations, and London and the South East too.
SWBC said upgrades to the A303 would bring an economic boost to the entire region, right down to the tip of Cornwall.
It called the Stonehenge tunnel project the catalyst which unlocks the South West’s second artery and creates a “£40billion GDP contribution over the next 20 years”.
It would also form a central component of the Government’s “levelling up” agenda, as the Tories attempt to build regional economies outside the South East.
Tim Jones, chairman of SWBC, said an economic model was created and submitted to the Treasury and Department for Transport showing the benefits of improving the A303 and the A30 and A358.
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“It demonstrated a £40billion pay-back to the South West over 20 years,” he said. “But, of course, the key is Stonehenge. Once that is done everything else will be easier. There will be other local elements but the linchpin is Stonehenge, that unlocks the £40billion.”
Mr Jones said the region’s factories stand to benefit from the upgrade at Stonehenge as it makes access to southern ports and London easier.
“It will empower our manufacturing businesses,” he said.
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Transport Secretary Grant Shapps last week granted a Development Consent Order for work to start on the two-mile tunnel underneath the World Heritage Site.
The “transformational and sensitive” upgrade will tackle congestion on the notorious, traffic-clogged single carriageway section of the A303 route, and the announcement is a significant step towards unlocking economic growth and improving journey times and reliability between the M3 and M5, the Government said.
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The upgrade includes, in addition to the tunnel, eight miles of “free-flowing, high-quality” dual carriageway, a new bypass to the north of the village of Winterbourne Stoke, and junctions with the A345 and A360 either side of the World Heritage Site.
Other business groups have already applauded the scheme with Deborah Fraser, CBI South West director, saying that as well as improving access to the region’s tourist sites, enhancing the A303 will help “catalyse investment” in many sectors across the South West, driving prosperity.
And David Tucker, Federation of Small Businesses transport chair, said the upgrade was key to supporting the South West economy, particularly as the only alternative route via the M4 and M5 into the region is already heavily used.