The Stonehenge tunnel will go ahead after the high court rejected the appeal from Save Stonehenge World Heritage Site.
Mr Justice Holgate made the announcement this morning as he dismissed the application at the High Court in London.
It will cost an estimated £1.7 billion and will be two miles long, which is about 3.2 kilometres.
The tunnel will stretch from Amesbury to Berwick Down in Wiltshire.
The judgement follows a three-day hearing at the High Court in December with UNESCO, five planning inspectors, and over 236,000 people opposed to the plans.
John Adams, chair of the Stonehenge Alliance and one of the three directors of SSWHS, said: “In the face of Government indifference to the harm this road will cause the World Heritage Site, we had no choice but to bring this legal action.
"While this judgement is a huge blow and exposes the site to National Highway’s state-sponsored vandalism, we will continue the fight.
"In the dying days of this Conservative Government, which has inflicted so much damage on the country, we cannot let it destroy our heritage as well.”
Tom Holland, historian and president of the Stonehenge Alliance, said: “This is a devastating loss, not just for everyone who has campaigned against the Government’s pig-headed plans for the Stonehenge landscape, but for Britain, for the world, and for subsequent generations.”
SSWHS suggest that they will appeal but will now have to raise a further £15,000 in order to apply for permission to appeal at the Court of Appeal.
If a hearing is granted, a further £40,000 could be required. They had already raised £80,000 to bring this failed action.
Cllr Caroline Thomas, Cabinet Member for Transport, said, “We’re pleased to hear about this High Court decision and that the A303 Stonehenge project can move forward.
“This huge infrastructure project represents a significant investment in Wiltshire that will boost the economy of both our county and the wider region, unlocking jobs and investment.
“Along with the construction, there will also be comprehensive programme of archaeological mitigation, which will enhance our understanding of the World Heritage Site.
“We look forward to construction beginning and unlocking all the benefits the scheme will bring both to Wiltshire communities and the wider south-west region.”
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