AECOM has been selected as the design and technical consultant on the £1.4 billion A303 Stonehenge scheme.

The company, in partnership with Mouchel and Mace, will be Highways England's Technical Partner for the Amesbury to Berwick Down project, which includes proposals for a tunnel near Stonehenge.

Features involve improving the single carriageway A303 between Amesbury and Berwick Down by dualling the seven-mile route, as well as building a 1.8-mile tunnel underneath the Stonehenge site. Proposals also include options to develop a bypass for the village of Winterbourne Stoke.

The scheme, which is part of the Government's £15 billion five-year Road Investment Strategy, aims to provide an enhanced link between the M3 in the South East and the M5 in the South West, improving journeys for millions of people.

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AECOM will be required to develop the preliminary design for the scheme, manage and lead on the Development Consent Order application for the scheme, and provide technical assurance of the detailed design and construction.

The eight-year contract, valued between £40m - £50m, is on target to begin construction in 2020.

Derek Parody, Highways England project director for the A303 Stonehenge scheme, said: "This award is another step in our commitment to deliver the A303 Stonehenge improvement scheme. We have enjoyed an excellent and productive working partnership with the Arup Atkins Joint Venture during the route options identification phase, and we are now looking forward to forging another successful partnership with AECOM.

"We are still busy developing the design of the scheme, following a successful public consultation, and although we are yet to receive permission to start construction, this appointment will help us to design the best scheme possible to improve this road and enhance the World Heritage Site, and to prepare for works getting under way on time and to budget."

(LM)