>Isn't it just a case of congestion, money and damage to Stonehenge all being equally politically embarrassing and >irreconcilable, so no-one can break out and do anything?

That seems to be the case.

The decision to locate the new visitor centre at Countess East means that it's completion is entirely dependent on improvements to the A303 going ahead. The plan was for a flyover of the A303 at the Countess roundabout, freeing the junction of through traffic. Without the flyover the visitor centre can't be built on the land EH have bought. Someone at EH decided that visitors to Stonehenge should approach from the best vantage point, King Barrow Ridge, so that decision alone ruled out all of the possible alternative sites for the visitor centre. The A344 is required to serve the present visitor centre. To close the small section between the A303 and the visitor centre would add over 3 miles to the journey from London, passing the congested Longbarrow Crossroads junction and probably creating problems at Airman's Cross.

It's all dependent on what, if anything, is done to the A303. If they're not going to throw money at it then no one gets what they want.

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