We need a dual carriageway past Stonehenge

sir – I disagree with Tanya Gold (Features, July 28) regarding the need for a road tunnel near Stonehenge.

It was a Conservative government that in 1959 promised there would be a dual carriageway from London to Land’s End along the A303. It is time the Tories delivered on this promise.

Pending construction of the tunnel, Stonehenge should be hidden from the sight of those travelling on the road by a high fence to speed up the traffic.

The M4 and M5 are not viable alternatives to making the A303 a dual carriageway. It takes more than 30 minutes to get to the M5 and, far from being a free-running road, it is more of a car park, especially at weekends. Howard Gosling

Nether Compton, Dorset

sir – Tanya Gold claims the jams on the A303 at Stonehenge are caused by drivers wanting to look at the monuments. They are actually caused by the narrowing of the road as the dual carriageway from London becomes a single lane. A tunnel will sink the traffic below the Stonehenge sight line, speeding up the traffic and increasing safety as drivers will no longer be distracted by the stones.

In Britain, we have many examples of poor road design. If we are to travel overseas less often in future, these problems need addressing fast. Michael Coulson

London SW18

sir – The vast majority of us use the A303 because it is the only viable route. It is not a luxury, but a necessity, and I am fed up with queuing for hours just to get past the bottleneck.

The tunnel is desperately needed and long overdue.

Jonathan Batt

Castle Cary, Somerset