A large amount of London - Exeter traffic (including most of the large commercial vehicles) goes M5/M4 because of the condition of the A303. This is a very long way round, not what either motorway is built for and I would contend that it causes congestion for both motorways, especially around Bristol. If the A303 missing links were built and diverted to the A358 at Taunton I doubt much traffic would transfer, if it becomes an "A14" standard road from the M3 to Exeter then a lot of relief would be given to the M4/ M5. I wish one could somehow 'swap' it with the S2+1 Ilminster bypass a few miles west, where D2 IS needed, while S2+1 (or WS2) would be more than enough for the A30 between Yeovil and Sherborne! I spent 20 years with BBC radio news, never having anything to do with TV. I was a words man, didn't understand pictures. Still don't, really. In 1958, the Ministry of Transport upgraded the A303 to trunk road status. It believed it was easier to upgrade than the parallel A30 as it passed through fewer towns. [21] Initial improvements to the road in the 1960s included widening small sections to 3 lanes (forming the so-called suicide lane) or to dual carriageway; but none were longer than 2 miles (3.2km). [22] Andover and Amesbury were bypassed in 1969, [23] [24] while general improvements to the road, including additional dualling, took place throughout the 1970s. [25] Parts of the A303 were upgraded to dual carriageway throughout the late 20th century.

Hammond, Norman (7 August 1991). "Department to fund historical surveys before roads are built". The Times. p.14 . Retrieved 19 August 2016. A section of the A303 around Weyhill, west of Andover, runs alongside a ditch thought to be constructed during the Bronze Age. Several historic roads converged at Weyhill, which is believed to have hosted a popular market since the Middle Ages, eventually becoming one of the most important in England by the 19th century. [b] The market closed in the 1950s. [15] 19th century [ edit ] In 2011, BBC Four broadcast the documentary A303 Highway to the Sun. [71] The writer Tom Fort drove the length of the A303 in a Morris Traveller, making various stops. [72] The following year, he published a book with the same title; it covers the history of the road, and British road planning, together with landscape, history and general travel writing. During research, one interviewee recommended using the A303 to reach southwest England, adding it was "less boring than the motorway, and you've always got Stonehenge". [73] The programme was praised for its eclecticism and enthusiasm for what could have been a tedious subject. [74] [75] Junctions and landmarks [ edit ]After decades of debate, [49] the A303's junction with the A344, just east of Stonehenge, was closed in 2013 as part of improvements to visitor facilities. [50] During this work, a roadside monument was moved to the visitor centre; the stone monument is to Captain Eustace Loraine and Staff-Sergeant Richard Wilson, killed in July 1912 in the first fatal accident of the recently formed Royal Flying Corps. [51]

A cyclist stops to look at Stonehenge as the sun sets ahead of Summer Solstice on June 20, 2020 in ... [+] Amesbury, United Kingdom. (Photo by Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images) Getty Images Personaly i think it was a mistake to redirect the A30 up to Bullington Cross. Having a third A road joining there has meant the junction has needed to be over complicated to accomodate the A30. If left on it's old route the A30 would have been kept out of the way and join the A303 at its own junction. Bullington Cross GSJ could have been much simpler as a result.Concerns mount over plans for two-mile road tunnel past Stonehenge". The Guardian. 2 April 2019 . Retrieved 11 March 2020. Roads to our past don t come much richer...a meditation on the great route to the west and its ancient origins. --The Sunday Telegraph Anyone who has holidayed in the West Country will enjoy 'The A303'. Tom Fort s diligent digging under the tarmac has uncovered a great stash of tales - The Sunday Times Excerpt taken from DigiGuide - the world's best TV guide available from http://www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=7646