IT is more than 10 years since it was announced that the best way of ending the bottleneck at Hindhead traffic lights was a tunnel under The Devil's Punch Bowl.
And today (Friday) sees the publication of draft orders for one of the biggest schemes of its kind in the country - the A3 tunnel.
The period for viewing and commenting on the draft orders for the A3 Hindhead Tunnel and junction improvement scheme officially starts today.
The public has until January 9 to comment on the plans. As part of the statutory process, a public inquiry may be called if there are unresolved objections to the proposals.
The draft orders, which are issued on behalf of the Secretary of State, are the first step in the statutory process to legally provide for the road to be built. It follows a study in 2000 that concluded that a tunnel would be good overall value for money, without tolls.
The orders are published together with the environmental statement, which outlines all the environmental issues linked to the scheme. The accompanying draft compulsory purchase order will be published in about a month's time.
The publication of the draft orders is timed to coincide with the latest A3 newsletter and public exhibitions in Grayshott and Beacon Hill being held next week. (Details are featured on Pages 4 & 5).
Yesterday (Thursday) the tunnel was on the agenda of Waverley 's environmental and leisure overview and scrutiny committee at Haslemere Museum.
Last week Haslemere Town Council heard a presentation from Surrey County Council over its plans to reduce rat-running and bring traffic-calming measures to Woolmer Hill Road when the tunnel is built.
The orders and the environmental statement present a full description of the proposed scheme, which includes a 1.9 km (1.2 mile) tunnel under the Devil's Punch Bowl.
The agency has incorporated changes, following the exhibitions in July 2003. The latest modifications for consideration during the public consultation period include changes at: Hindhead Common, The Spaniard and Hammer Lane, Headley Road and Portsmouth Road junction and Boundless Road.
The timetable for the £150 million plus tunnel scheme which may be affected by factors such as the length and outcome of the expected public inquiry, means that the start of the road construction could in 2005 and open in 2009.