New Civil Engineer
12 January 2012
View all stories from this issue.
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Aecom appoints BAA chief Robinson
Consultant Aecom has appointed Richard Robinson as managing director of its transportation business in Europe to be based in the company’s London office, it announced last week. -
Aggregates, cement and ready-mix industry referred to Competition Commission
The Office of Fair Trading has formally referred the aggregates, cement and ready-mix concrete markets in Great Britain to the Competition Commission. -
Alstom teams up with SSE Renewables for Scottish wave project
Power firm Alstom has today signed a joint venture with energy firm SSE Renewables to develop a wave energy project off the coast of Scotland. -
Bam Nuttall wins Norfolk incinerator contract
Bam Nuttall has won a contract to carry out civil engineering work on the controversial £500M waste incinerator in King’s Lynn, Norfolk. -
Black & Veatch expands in Middle East
Consultant Black & Veatch is expanding its operations in the Middle East by moving into a new office in Dubai, the firm confirmed today. -
Boc wins place on carbon capture and storage project
Industrial gas provider Boc will join power firm Alstom and coal-fired power station owner Drax in developing a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in North Yorkshire. -
Boris unveils plan to ease London congestion
A package of measures, that include a new East London road tunnel, hoping to ease congestion in the capital has been announced by London mayor Boris Johnson. -
Camden Council approves King's Cross Square plan
Camden Council has given the go ahead to plans to redevelop the public space in front of King’s Cross station, Network Rail revealed today. -
Carillion wins £15.6M Welsh rail viaduct project
Contractor Carillion has been selected by Network Rail to build a £15.6M replacement for the Loughor viaduct in South West Wales today. -
CH2M Hill named as High Speed 2 development partner
CH2M Hill has scooped the lucrative £50M to £70M development partner role on the High Speed 2 (HS2) project, promoter HS2 Ltd has announced. -
Channel Islands tidal scheme impact investigated
Small Gloucester environmental consultant Sustainable Direction has been investigating the creation of a network of 2,000 tidal turbines off the coast of Alderney in the Channel Islands. -
Chinese sovereign fund invests in Thames Water in UK first
China’s sovereign investment fund has made its first UK venture with the purchase of an 8.68% stake in Thames Water today. -
Christchurch quake rebuild hampered by aftershocks
A series of severe aftershocks is continually undermining efforts to rebuild the earthquake damaged New Zealand city of Christchurch, engineers told NCE this week. -
Collision between car and train in Suffolk under investigation
An investigation is underway into how a car crashed through a wire fence onto the main line near Old Newton, Suffolk, last November and was struck by a train. -
Commons plays down 'Big Ben' subsidence risk
The House of Commons yesterday played down suggestions that the Palace of Westminster is suffering from imminent subsidence. -
Construction insolvency gloom to continue, says PwC
The recession has claimed 5,215 construction firms over the past two years and there is no sign of this trend abating, says accounting giant PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC). -
Construction output continues to fall in Scotland
Latest gross domestic product (GDP) figures for the Scottish economy out today show a fourth consecutive drop of construction output. -
Consultation on controversial reservoir classification system to end next month
Consultation ends next month on the Environment Agency’s controversial classification system for deciding which English and Welsh reservoirs in England and Wales are deemed to be “high risk”. -
Controversial Estuary airport plan to go out to consultation
Proposals for building a new London airport in the Thames Estuary will be put out to consultation in the spring, it has been confirmed. -
Dark clouds end water companies' drought panic
A run on water companies applying for drought permits in the south east may have been averted with recent increased rainfall. -
Decision due next week on Chile mega hydro scheme
The Chilean Supreme Court is due to make a decision on a controversial $7bn (£4.5bn) hydro project in Patagonia in the Southern part of the country next week. -
Deephams: Thames Water's defining moment
Early contractor involvement is seen by Thames Water as the key to its plan to upgrade sewage treatment standards at its Deephams works in north London. -
Disused railway reinstated for coal freight in South Wales
A 12.9km long disused freight railway line in Cymgrach, South Wales has been resurrected for coal producer Unity Mine to enable it to reduce lorry movements. -
Flooding 'swale' first for Thames Water
Thames Water is building its first ever “swale” scheme to protect houses in north London from flooding in times of heavy rain. -
Former ICE DG Foulkes is now OBE in New Year’s honours
Former ICE director general Tom Foulkes has been given an OBE. -
French firms team up for offshore wind bid
Three major French firms — contractor Vinci, power firm GDF Seuz, and state-owned finance firm CDC Infrastructure — have submitted a joint bid to build up to 3GW of offshore wind capacity off the coast of northern France. -
Galliford Try scoops infrastructure projects worth £40M
Galliford Try has won three infrastructure projects totalling £40M in value. -
Government failed to ensure Network Rail savings, say MPs
MPs yesterday heaped criticism on the Department for Transport for failing to induce substantial savings from Network Rail for this spending period. -
Granary Building scoops Mayor’s top prize for planning excellence in London
A 19th century granary store that has been spectacularly transformed into a university for the arts has scooped London mayor Boris Johnson’s Award for Planning Excellence at the London Planning Awards. -
Green light for large Asian wind farm supported by Motts
One of the largest wind farms in south east Asia reached financial close today, with consultant Mott MacDonald acting as independent engineer. -
Green light for ScottishPower £2.6bn grid upgrade
Energy firm ScottishPower has today reached agreement with energy regulator Ofgem for a £2.6bn investment in the Scottish electricity grid over an eight-year period between 2013 and 2021. -
Green light for United Utilities’ £200M Liverpool waste water plan
United Utilities has been granted planning to build a £200M extension to its waste treatment plant on the banks of the River Mersey, Liverpool. -
Hammersmith flyover repairs to last 'decades'
Repairs to the severe damage suffered by the Hammersmith flyover will ensure a longer term fix for the problems than previously thought, Transport for London’s (TfL’s) surface transport boss said today. -
Harrie Noy: Arcadis' global grower
Consultant Arcadis made waves last year by snapping up cost consultant EC Harris. Mark Hansford met chief executive Harrie Noy and discovered that the move was just the tip of the iceberg. -
Heathrow plans new terminal for Olympics
Heathrow Airport has today unveiled plans to build a special £20M Games Terminal to handle extra passengers and baggage for this summer’s Olympics. -
High Speed 2: Consultant 'development partner' to be announced imminently
Scheme promoter High Speed 2 (HS2) is expected to announce the consultant that will act as its development partner imminently, following yesterday’s green light for the £32.7bn scheme. -
High Speed 2: Economic benefits revised down for second time in a year
The government yesterday revealed that it had revised down the economic benefits of a High Speed railway between London, the West Midlands, Manchester and Leeds for the second time in a year, but it confirmed its commitment to going ahead with the now £32.7M scheme. -
High Speed 2: Industry reaction
Reactions to yesterday’s announcement by the government that the £32.7bn High Speed 2 (HS2) is to go ahead have varied from the bouyant civil engineering world to the more outraged local resident groups. -
High Speed 2: Project promoter starts recruitment drive for engineers
High Speed 2 project promoter HS2 Ltd has started its first recruitment campaign by advertising jobs for specialist railway engineers and experienced civil engineers. -
High Speed 2: The NCE guide
The decision by transport secretary Justine Greening to go ahead with the High Speed 2 scheme with some modifications to the route is the latest step forward for the mega-rail scheme. -
Highways Agency makes interim major projects boss permanent appointment
The Highways Agency has confirmed that its interim major projects director Peter Adams is to retain the role on a permanent basis. -
Highways Agency seeks contractor for complex A14 viaduct repairs
The Highways Agency has gone out to tender for a complex £11M project to strengthen the A14 Huntingdon railway viaduct in Cambridgeshire. -
Highways Agency spending cuts will affect maintenance standards, says DfT
Senior Department for Transport (DfT) civil servants yesterday told MPs that standards would be affected by road maintenance spending cuts but asserted that the network would not degrade under the plans. -
Highways special: extending the life of the Humber Bridge
Serious corrosion threatened to reduce the life span of the Humber Bridge. Declan Lynch visits the bridge to see how it was averted. -
Highways special: Link for Luton
In Luton and Central Bedfordshire a new £89M busway is the latest phase in a public transport revamp. -
ICE Council crunches the numbers
Keeping the ICE on a sound financial footing during the economic downturn was a key focus of the last ICE Council meeting of 2011. -
Incinerator projects could be held up by health impact report
The health impact of incinerators is to be given a fresh look at with a government backed report sparking fears that key energy from waste projects could be de-railed. -
Keep leaves off the line but protect green benefits, says report
Trackside land must be maintained to avoid leaves on the line but residents should be kept informed, according to a report from the London Assembly. -
Lack of codes makes excavations challenging in seismic urban areas
Excavations in dense urban areas that are seismically active are poorly covered by existing building codes, said Arup principal Nick O’Riordan at a joint British Geotechnical Association and Society for Earthquake and Civil Engineering Dynamics meeting last night. -
Legal bid lodged to block nuclear power development
Nuclear power could be blocked from being developed in the UK and European Union (EU) if a complaint over Government subsidies sent by lawyers to the European Commission is upheld. -
Letters: Why skew Scottish transport spend so much towards roads?
Why skew Scottish transport spend so much towards roads?Scottish roads: spending dwarfs that set aside for low carbon transportYour article “Full steam ahead for ambitious Scottish Infrastructure Plan has lauded the Scottish Government’s Infrastructure Investmen -
Low carbon district heating system plan revealed
Plans to build a low carbon district heating system that could be the biggest in London have been revealed by Southwark Council and waste firm Veolia. -
Mid-Cheshire railway handed over to community
Rail minister Theresa Villiers has today announced the Mid-Cheshire railway line in north west England will now be run as community rail service, giving passengers more say on how the service will be run. -
Network Rail announces £1.5bn signalling work team
Network Rail has awarded framework agreements for signalling projects worth £1.5bn to Invensys Rail, Signalling Solutions and Atkins, it confirmed yesterday. -
Network Rail carries out £1.6M Long Eaton station face ‘lift’
Lifts are being installed at a cost of £1.6M on both platforms at Long Eaton station, in Derbyshire, by Network Rail to improve accessibility. -
Network Rail gets month extension to improve performance
Network Rail has been given a month long extension by the rail regulator to draw up “robust” plans to improve passenger train punctuality. -
New York governor plans £16bn private investment push for infrastructure
New York governor Andrew Cuomo has unveiled plans for a bold $25bn (£16bn) programme of infrastructure investment to be funded largely by private investment. -
No.2 Opening of the Burj Khalifa
Opening of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa in January 2010 was a resounding answer to those who had challenged whether tall buildings would ever be built again following the unthinkable collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York nine years earlier. -
Norfolk incinerator claws back PFI credits from Spelman
PFI credits for a Norfolk incinerator that were controversially withheld by environment secretary Caroline Spelman have been released. -
Northern Line Extension cost grows to £900M as developer funding threatened
The proposed Northern Line Extension in south London to serve Nine Elms and Battersea is likely to cost between £800M to £900M, it was revealed yesterday. -
Obituary: Brian McGrath, 1969-2011
In December McGrath lost his long battle with cancer at the age of 42; an illness borne with characteristic fortitude and determination to minimise its debilitating effect on his life. -
ORR not ‘off hook’ for Grayrigg, says RMT
The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) is “not off the hook” with regards to the 2007 Grayrigg disaster as it was part of a cuts culture that may have contributed to the disaster, rail union RMT has said. -
PFI hijacked by financiers says O’Rourke
Laing O’Rourke chairman and chief executive officer Ray O’Rourke said the government’s private finance initiative (PFI) funding was hijacked by financiers. -
Prestatyn piling going to plan
Piling work for a new retail development in Prestatyn is progressing well said foundation contractor Keller. -
Pride Park
Just before Christmas, the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) released the latest aerial images of the Games venues, giving a hint of what spectators will be greeted with this summer. -
Race is on to repair ailing Hammersmith flyover
Efforts to reopen the severely damaged A4 Hammersmith flyover have been hampered by the complexity of the structure, NCE has learned. -
Rail regulator prosecutes Network Rail for 'serious' health and safety breach over Grayrigg
The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has today started criminal proceedings against rail infrastructure owner and operator Network Rail for a breach of health and safety law which caused a train to derail near Grayrigg, Cumbria in 2007. -
Record-breaking piles for Macau crossing completed
The last of 120 record-breaking 22m diameter steel piles has been driven on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge in front of an audience of 200 people. -
Repair plans enable Hammersmith reopening
Transport for London (TfL) has revealed its repair plans for the Hammersmith flyover today which will focus on strengthening six of the 16 spans while allowing the structure to reopen to light traffic. -
Riots 2011: Assessing crime and disorder
Following the 2011 summer riots, industry experts will be discussing its potential impacts on the construction process later this month. -
Riots 2011: London town centres receive extra £57M
London mayor Boris Johnson has today announced total investment following last year’s London riots will reach £177M following an additional £57M pledged from private and public partners. -
Site investigation for river clean up to start
United Utilities has announced that site investigations for a major scheme to clean up the River Lune in Lancaster will get underway next week. -
Small consultants firms wait 76 days for payment
Research by the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) has revealed that small consultants have an average wait of 76 days for their invoices to be paid. -
Solar subsidies ruling postponed
The Court of Appeal failed to reach a judgement on Friday on the legality of the government’s recent reduction in feed in tariff (Fit) rates for solar photovoltaic energy schemes. -
South west council leaders look to resurrect A303 Stonehenge tunnel project
Plans for a £1bn programme to widen the remaining single lane carriageway sections of the A303 between Wiltshire and Devon have been resurrected by south west council leaders. -
South west expansion for Frankis
Remediation specialist Frankis Solutions has announced that it is expanding into the south west with the opening of a new office in Cornwall. -
Still irreverent, still informative, still New Civil Engineer
When NCE was launched by the ICE in May 1972, the hope of then President George A Wilson was that the magazine would quickly become “essential reading for all associated with civil engineering”. -
Stockport sets up rota of inspection and cleaning for gullies
Stockport Borough Council has set up an on-going inspection and cleansing programme to keep on top of drainage and flooding problems on priority routes. -
Taylor Woodrow wins £44.3M London Underground contract
Taylor Woodrow has won a £44.3M contract from London Underground to upgrade two depots that will service the new S7 train fleet. -
UK not ready for smart meter roll out
Energy firms and the Department for Energy and Climate Change (Decc) are not ready to implement the £11.7bn programme to install smart meters in the UK’s 53M homes, MPs said today. -
UK's first marine energy park will be in the south west
The south west will be home to the UK’s first Marine Energy Park, announced cimate change minister Greg Barker on a visit to Bristol. -
Unite to reballot for strike action at Balfour Beatty Engineering Services
The Unite union has said it will re-ballot for strike action its members at Balfour Beatty Engineering Services over attacks on skills and pay. -
Up to 700 jobs at risk as Scottish contractor WJ Harte goes into administration
Scottish contractor WJ Harte has gone into administration, putting up to 700 jobs at risk. -
US rail operator to make high speed rail plans private finance friendly
US rail operator Amtrak has said it is to update its vision for high speed rail in the north east with a business plan that identifies potential public and private funding sources. -
Value for money is ‘crucial’ and PFI must now deliver for tax payers
PFI funding has not delivered “best possible value” for taxpayers in the past but this must change, Treasury Select Committee chairman Andrew Tyrie said today. -
Vinci named preferred bidder for £620M Strasbourg bypass
Vinci subsidiary Vinci Concessions has been named by Fance’s Ministry for Ecology, Sustainable Development, Transport and Housing (MEDDTL) as the prefered bidder for the concession contract for the A355 western Strasbourg bypass. -
Vinci sets sights on Indian infrastructure sector
Vinci Group subsidiary Eurovia has bought Indian construction and public works firm NAPC as part of its ambitions to establish a presence in the country. -
VolkerFitzpatrick secures £8.9M contract for London library
VolkerFitzpatrick has won an £8.9M contract to design and build a library for the University of East London at its Stratford campus. -
Warning of energy projects put at risk by investor uncertainty
Plans to revise subsidies for generating renewable electricity could put more than 70 energy infrastructure projects at risk endangering 24,000 jobs, an industry body has warned. -
Wayss and Freytag Ingenieurbau wins £351M German waste water pipeline project
Contractor Wayss and Freytag Ingenieurbau has secured a €420M (£351M) contract in Germany for the construction of a 35km long underground waste water pipeline. -
Wear red for RedR on 10 February
Engineering charity RedR’s annual “Wear Red for RedR” fundraising event will take place on 10 February, to help raise funds and awareness for the organisation.
