EARLY contractor involvement, to help speed up the preparation for the Hindhead A3 tunnel scheme, has been outlined by Transport Minister Lord Gus Macdonald.
In a letter to SW Surrey MP Virginia Bottomley, the minister said the next stage is to take the preferred tunnel route forward to "draft order publication".
"We will appoint design agents to undertake further work, including preparation of an environmental statement and draft statutory orders," he continued.
"We are looking at the possibility of seeking early contractor involvement to assist in preparing the tunnel scheme.
"This is in line with our speeded-up procedures outlined when we published our 10-year plan last year."
But Mrs Bottomley has said "action as well as words" are needed from the government and has demanded a set timetable for the tunnel.
"I shall be pressing Lord Macdonald for details on the timetable immediately the House of Commons returns," she confirmed.
The inclusion of the £107 million toll-free tunnel scheme in the government's 10-year plan was announced last month by Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for the environment, transport and regions, John Prescott.
The scheme includes a 1.7 km twin-bored tunnel beneath Hindhead Common as part of just over four miles of dual-carriageway improvement on the A3.
It will also see the removal of the last remaining section of single carriageway on the main trunk road between Portsmouth and London and will provide a bypass for Hindhead.
But no timescale for the tunnel was included in the government's major transport package, which aims to provide a modern and sustainable transport system while also tackling congestion and pollution
Local MPs, councillors, residents and action groups have all called for a set timetable giving a start date for the scheme.