A decades-long effort to save Stonehenge from the damaging effects of automobile traffic and restore the integrity of its surrounding  landscape is now a significant step closer to fruition.

On Oct. 5, English Heritage, the government-affiliated organization that manages Stonehenge and other national monuments, submitted plans to close and grass over a 1.3-mile section of highway that slices through the World Heritage site very close to the prehistoric stones, along with an adjacent parking lot.

A major component of the plan is a new visitors’ center and parking lot, to be located 1.5 miles west of the monument. The center, which is designed to blend in with the archeologically rich landscape of the UNESCO World Heritage site, will be connected to the site via a shuttle system.

The current plan replaces a previous — and highly contentious one — that proposed replacing the offending stretch of the A344 with a bored tunnel. In December 2007 the British government announced it would scrap the tunnel plan. Transport Minister Tom Harris said the plan’s skyrocketing cost “would not represent the best use of taxpayers’ money” and that “due to significant environmental constraints across the whole of the World Heritage Site, there are no acceptable alternatives to the 2.1-kilometer bored-tunnel scheme.”

Although still subject to planning permission and funding, the new plan is expected to be approved and the project completed in time for the 2012 Olympics.

To learn more about stone circles of Britain and the battle to save Stonehenge, read our Stonehenge sacred site report.