THE BUILDERS of the UK's longest road tunnel under land have made an important breakthrough, with excavations from the north and south joining under Surrey. The £371 million A3 tunnel project taking place near Hindhead, Surrey, is intended to reduce traffic at a notorious bottleneck and bring greater tranquillity to the surrounding Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Devil's Punch Bowl. By completing the A3 dual carriageway link between Portsmouth and London, the designers of the tunnel aim to remove 30,000 vehicles a day from the Surrey Hills and also reduce traffic flow through nearby Hindhead village. Transport Minister Paul Clark was present to witness the breakthrough, commenting: "Today's breakthrough is a major step forward for this important Highways Agency scheme. It will bring faster and safer journeys on the only trunk road between Portsmouth and London - as well as freeing the centre of Hindhead from the daily gridlock that blights the area. "This will deliver real benefits to local people, whether they are drivers, horse riders, cyclists or pedestrians, whilst creating a better habitat for local wildlife and preserving the beauty of the landscape."
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