UK approves contentious road tunnel at Stonehenge

LONDON – British authorities have approved plans for a contentious road tunnel under Stonehenge — but altered its route so it won’t impede views of the sun during the winter solstice.

The government said Tuesday that the 1.8-mile (2.9-kilometre) tunnel will bury a road that now runs past the prehistoric monument.

It says the revised route will be 50 yards (meters) further from the giant stone circle than previously proposed “to avoid conflicting with the solstice alignment.”

But critics say the tunnel will disturb a rich archaeological site. “Time Team” host Tony Robinson accused the government of “literally driving a thousand coaches and horses through the World Heritage Site.”

Stonehenge, built between 3000 B.C. and 1600 B.C., is one of Britain’s most popular tourist attractions and a spiritual home for druids and mystics.