The Institution of Civil Engineers announces winners of West …

On Thursday, September 21, 2023, the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) held its annual West Midlands Awards Ceremony at the MacDonald Burlington Hotel in Birmingham.

Attended by ICE president Keith Howells, 13 awards were presented to the teams that delivered some of the best civil engineering projects across the West Midlands and recognised those individuals who have made significant contributions to the profession.

Winning the Communication Award was the Sutherland Road Flood Alleviation Scheme, in Cheslyn Hay, Staffordshire. Thanks to work done by Mott Macdonald Bentley for Severn Trent Water, 21 homes are no longer at risk of flooding as a result of the project.

In the Education & Inspiration category, the winner was the M6 Junction 10 Improvements project, delivered by John Sisk & Son, Capita Pell Frischmann Design joint venture for National Highways and Walsall Council. An integral element of the project was the innovative ‘accessible learning for all’ programme that encouraged engagement with schools, colleges and universities.

The winner in both the Geotechnical and Team Achievement categories was Coventry Station, delivered by Buckingham Group Contracting Ltd for Coventry City Council and Network Rail. This project was also highly commended in the Large Project category. The project included a new lift, footbridge foundations and a new staircase, all constructed whilst keeping the station fully operational.

The Chetwynd Heritage Bridge Revival won the Heritage award. Delivered by Amey, Currall Lewis and Martin Construction, for Staffordshire County Council, the bridge, built in 1824, was on English Heritage’s ‘At Risk’ register. Following completion of the refurbishment, the bridge’s future has been secured.

The Innovation award went to Network Rail’s FLOW Bridge, installed close to Craven Arms in Shropshire. The innovative, modular footbridge was designed by Knight Architects and built by partners Sui Generis, KS Composites, Foflo, Jacobs, J T Consulting, Q-Railing UK, Insensys Ltd and Balfour Beatty, for Network Rail.

Winning the Sustainability category was the Bromford Cycle Path, delivered by Jackson Civil Engineering for Birmingham City Council on behalf of the Environment Agency — part of the £17m Bromford Flood Alleviation Scheme. The cycle path was surfaced with a new low-CO2 foamed asphalt path, made from recycled aggregates and processed waste products, which massively reduced CO2 emissions.

The winner in the Small Project category was designed by Freyssinet Limited for HS2 Limited and is understood to be the longest-ever box slide. Freyssinet designed and built what is believed to be the world’s longest box slide to move a 12,600-tonne bridge into place over the M42 motorway at Marston in Warwickshire.

The Medium Small Project category was won by the Fillongley Road Bridge, Meriden, delivered by Balfour Beatty for Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and SCAPE. The refurbishment and reinforcement of the 1950s bridge involved its partial demolition to allow the new composite structure to be built in situ.

The overall winner and winner in the Large Project category was Stechford-to-Aston Bridge 13 Reconstruction, Birmingham. Delivered by Skanska for Network Rail, the Victorian brick and steel viaduct was replaced with a new steel structure which, at 92 metres, is understood to be the largest single-span rail bridge in the West Midlands.

In the People Awards category, Arup’s Sophie Corr was named as Technician of the Year and Elliott David Webb was named as Young Achiever of the Year.

The winner of the prestigious Bob Dunn Award was Rose Rees, whose outstanding achievements and dedication to promoting careers in the sector was recognised.

ICE East and West Midlands regional director, Jo Barnett, said: “Our annual awards play an important role in not only demonstrating the importance of our civil engineers, whose hard work and dedication can often go unnoticed, but also in celebrating the positive impact that civil engineering has on our everyday lives.”

To find out more about the West Midlands Awards Ceremony, head to the Institution of Civil Engineers website^[1].

References

1. ^{^} Institution of Civil Engineers website (%20https)