Stonehenge gets millions for major makeover

LONDON (AP) — Stonehenge is getting a multimillion-pound (-dollar) grant that conservators say will help restore some dignity to a World Heritage site blighted by busy roads and cramped facilities.

English Heritage said today that it now has about two-thirds of the money it needs to revamp the area around the prehistoric circle of stones, although the group acknowledged the improvements probably wouldn't come in time for the 2012 Olympic Games, when hordes of tourists are expected to descend on the site.

Built between 4,000 and 5,000 years ago, Stonehenge is one of the world's most recognizable sites. But the monument's vista is blighted by two busy roads, one of which runs right by it.

Today's 10 million-pound grant is being awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, which uses money raised through the national lottery to refurbish museums, parks and archaeological areas.