Sunday 15 January 2017

The Stonehenge Tunnel Option Videos





A303 Stonehenge southern bypass option - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaTYviSTSfk


A303 Stonehenge southern bypass option and Stonehenge in the distance - the solstitial alignment is marked with an arrow.





A303 Stonehenge northern bypass option - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRGHZ9gRf-E


A303 Stonehenge northern bypass option and Stonehenge in the distance - the solstitial alignment is marked with an arrow.

Click pictures to embiggen them.

(Both videos are on YouTube with the warning "This video is unlisted. Be considerate and think twice before sharing." I have done so.)

5 comments:

  1. Great vids.
    Big, big job.
    What are they planning to do with the spoil?

    ReplyDelete
  2. "What are they planning to do with the spoil?"

    1st rule of economic engineering is that you do not incur costs of exporting/importing unnecessarily. So there's a few miles of substantial embankment to be engineered. They may decide to make them even higher than shown! any excess will indeed be sold off for fill elsewhere.

    Obviously they will sieve the soil just in case they come across a hoard of gold, the probability of which will have been costed into the scheme. That's if the workers can be trusted to hand in any they find. So they'll all be weighed before and after their shift! We don't want another gold rush now do we - what do you think Brexit was all about! Sorry Neil, but you don't have a chance of getting a visa!

    Cheers.

    ReplyDelete
  3. A comment that I was asked to post on behalf of someone else:

    an answer for Neil about the spoil! Think this needs to be re visited? Radioactive radon?!!??...Neil. I found this article from Tunnel Talk (full article attached) 'was discovery that the geology on the tunnel route contains a large deposit of phosphatic chalks which contain weak and poorly banded sand and silt layers and a high register of radon radiation. Such a large deposit of phosphatic chalks were unknown in Wiltshire and, indeed, in Europe and their impact on the proposed tunnel project were profound.' So radioactive spoil!
    http://www.tunneltalk.com/UK-21Nov2014-Stonehenge-TBM-bored-road-traffic-tunnel-revived.php

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks Nettie! (and Tim) Yes - yet another obstacle to the WSSS sightline! Glow-in-the-dark embankments.

    Richard - Terry May wouldn't let me in, and Donald Trump won't let me leave! I'm afraid you're obliged to go to bat on my behalf. Have a nice big breakfast and get to sifting!

    Neil

    ReplyDelete
  5. Radon information:
    http://www.ukradon.org/
    http://www.ukradon.org/information
    http://www.ukradon.org/cms/assets/gfx/content/resource_2686cs3a0844cee4.pdf

    I thought that this issue had been built into the costings, which is indicated in the article. If there were wider concerns, outside of construction worker h&s issues, then I'd be surprised that they have been kept under the radar. A few questions need to be asked of your Planning and Building Control people in Wilts. You are best placed to pursue this Tim...such is a campaigner's life!

    Your hard work is much appreciated.

    I am currently preparing comments as an appendix to a wider publication highlighting the extent of "Sacred Space" at SH. The Radon issue is something that I have regularly been aware of but infrequently a problem in consultations, even though the risks are much higher here in the Welsh Marches than in your territory. However, I'll give it further consideration, now that you have highlighted the issue. I think there is a more important issue which hasn't been raised anywhere that I can find, but I'm reviewing my references for this at the moment and will need to double-check through the TARs, as I've only had a speed read through the mass of literature.

    Neil,
    The ancients were very clever - they used gold as a radiation shield, but only the elites could afford to clothe themselves with the stuff! Way back I remember it being experimented with to manufacture polymer material for potential clothing material. For a fun break, I found this article:
    http://www.nytimes.com/1988/09/06/science/science-watch-gold-as-radiation-shield.html

    Great under the ultra violet lights in the dance halls. But clearly doomed to failure!

    Cheers.

    ReplyDelete