IT'S one of the most ambitious and imaginative road schemes ever conceived - and it could protect more than 5,000 years of history.

Plans to remove traffic from around Stonehenge in Wiltshire took another step towards reality yesterday.

But it could take some time. A public inquiry into the propos-als is likely and this would mean the three-year project could not start before 2005.

The government backed the idea of "burying" the A303 in a tunnel as it passes the ancient stones, which have stood on Salisbury Plain since 3,000BC.

Transport Minister Lord Whitty announced that the £130 million development - including the 1.25-mile tun-nel, a 6.75-mile dual carriageway and a bypass - was its preferred scheme.

The plans were announced after warnings that Stonehenge was suffering every day from the weight and volume of traffic along the A303, which passes 300 yards away from the monument. An estimated 20,000 vehicles make the standing stones vibrate for 18 hours a day.

Minor changes to the already-announced route were disclosed today to take account of local envi-ronmental concerns.

The route includes the cut-and-cover tunnel, a bypass of the village of Winterbourne Stoke west of the stones and a possible fly-over at the Countess roundabout near the end of the route at Amesbury.

The scheme meets the aims of Salisbury District Council, according to its chief executive Richard Sheard. He said: "Members felt that irrespective of the Stonehenge development there is a need to dual the A303. There are reservations and we need to be satisfied that measures will be taken to protect resi-dents affected. We need to see detailed plans and will be looking for environmental and transport impact studies to be carried out."

But environmental groups have expressed reservations about the project, with some saying the tun-nel will leave a scar on the land-scape.

"We are concerned about the increased traffic levels the scheme will generate and we want more details about tunnel options," said Lilli Matson, head of transport policy at the Council for the Protection of Rural England.

At least one third of the cost of the scheme will be borne by heritage sources. English Heritage has already announced plans for a new visitor centre at Stonehenge.

Lord Whitty said that declaring a preferred route was a "very important step towards implementing the scheme to improve this unique site".

He added: "The scheme reflects the concerns of local residents but we will have to assume there will be a public inquiry."

Richard Lander, director of environmental services at Wiltshire County Council, said the junction of the A303 and A343 at Stonehenge was the one of the major accident and blackspots in the county and Wiltshire had been keen to rectify it for years.

He said: "The county council remains firmly behind achieving a resolution of the problems created by the single carriageway section of the A303 and its proximity to the stones at the first chance."

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.