New Civil Engineer
17 January 2013
View all stories from this issue.
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Amey wins kent roads job
Kent County Council has announced that Amey is preferred bidder for the its technical and environmental services contract. -
Barrage is back
Backers say new Severn Estuary plan is cheaper and is gaining political support. -
Bernice breaks through on UK Power Network’s deep cable project
The tunnel boring machine (TBM) driving UK Power Network’s deep cable tunnel from Brentford Park has successfully completed its drive to the reception shaft at Willesden. -
Best practice can save £750bn a year
The cost of global infrastructure could be reduced by up to 40%, saving around $1 trillion (£750bn) a year, if proven best practice is adopted across the maintenance and renewal of public assets, according to a new report by consultant McKinsey. -
British JCBs in use in Italy
Italian contractor Consta is a using a range of JCB machines on its contract to build a 1.2km link road in Rovereto, north east Italy. -
Buro Happold admits to challenging 2012
Olympic Stadium designer Buro Happold has admitted that it has “not been immune” to the global reduction in activity levels in its latest results filed with Companies House. -
CNH splits away from partnership with Kobelco
Global construction equipment giant CNH has announced that it is “unwinding” its joint ownership and equity participations with Kobelco Construction Machinery. -
Commission adds voice to New York barrage calls
New York state authorities are being urged to consider building a storm surge barrier to prevent flooding. -
Crossrail eyes progress at Canary Wharf station
Preparation work on the “soft eyes” in the Canary Wharf station box has been completed and the excavation is ready to receive the tunnel boring machines (TBMs) Crossrail has said. -
Element Power calls for policy help with £6.7bn wind farm project
Renewable energy developer Element Power has this week called on the UK and Irish governments to speed up the processes allowing them to begin work on an €8bn (£6.7bn) wind energy export project. -
Engineering a change
New Zealand’s Royal Commission report into the earthquakes that devastated Christchurch recommended greater use of cone penetration testing. Carlton Hall reports on why this approach is being taken and how it is being delivered on site. -
Environment Agency suspends framework bids
Legal challenge fears force Environment Agency to freeze water and environment bids -
Finding a perfect match
As the water industry’s main players gear up to bid to be part of Thames Water’s AMP6 super-alliance, the company’s capital delivery director Lawrence Gosden tells Margo Cole about its new, radical procurement approach. -
Firing on all fronts
Construction of the first of two Crossrail tunnels below the Thames got underway last week with the launch of the first of the project’s slurry tunnel boring machines (TBMs). Mark Hansford updates on progress on the £14.5bn project. -
Full time hard shoulder running could boost safety
Full time hard shoulder running should bring an overall improvement in safety, despite increasing some risks for road users, industry sources said this week. -
Going to new depths
Construction of a 70m deep cut off barrier in Bavaria’s slyenstein Dam has helped Bauer to set a new German record for diaphragm walls. GE reports. -
Government names industry board
Mott MacDonald chairman Keith Howell and Laing O’Rourke chief executive and chairman Ray O’Rourke are amongst the top industry figures named on the government’s Industrial Strategy council, announced today. -
Government safeguards Wimbledon Loop
Rail minister Simon Burns has today announced the Wimbledon Loop south London rail service will be safeguarded under the Thameslink improvement programme. -
Head-on train collision leaves five injured in Austria
A head-on collision between two commuter trains has injured five passengers near Vienna this morning. -
Helicopter crash: engineers need to consider low probability high impact events
Temporary Works Forum technical secretary John Carpenter said the devastating helicopter crash into a tower crane heightened the need for engineers to consider low probability high impact events. -
Hiding behind status quo will kill vital innovation
According to a new report published today by consultant McKinsey, global infrastructure investment will have to increase by nearly 60% over the next two decades from the £25 trillion spent in the past 18 years to £40 trillion. -
Historic ride on restored Underground train marks 150th anniversary of the Tube
A newly restored steam train returned to the London Underground last weekend as part of the Tube’s 150th birthday celebrations. -
How safe is full time hard shoulder running?
When the Highways Agency prepared to activate England’s first ever stretch of hard shoulder running on the 42 in late 2004, it faced a barrage of complaints from concerned motoring organisations and safety groups. -
HS2: Northern cities to learn fate of their stations
Northern city council leaders are meeting with transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin this week to discuss phase two of the High Speed 2 (HS2) network. -
Hyder fuels its ambitions
Consultant Hyder started the year with an acquisirion to grow its capability in energy - just one sector for which chief executive Ivor Catto has high hopes for growth in 2013. Antony Oliver reports. -
In at the deep end
A cased piling rig thought to be the UK’s largest has been in action in London. NCE reports -
In pictures: Specialist contractors investigating helicopter crash site
London Fire Brigade is working with specialist contractors to assess damage of tower crane after it was hit by a helicopter this morning killing two people. -
Investigation launched into Leicestershire railway embankment failure
The Rail Accident Investigation Board (RAIB) has said it is to investigate a railway embankment failure in Leicestershire that lead to the derailment of a freight train and closure of the line for 10 days. -
Kent starts lane rental scheme
Utility companies in Kent will be charged up to £2000 per day for digging at peak times, the government announced today. -
Letters: Sacrificing hard shoulders on motorways is not a wise move
The Editor, NCE, 1st Floor, Greater London House, Hampstead Road, London NW1 7EJ email: nceedit@emap.com -
Lords committee wants more clarity on ministerial infrastructure powers
A House of Lords committee has asked government for more clarity on a clause in the Growth and Infrastructure Bill through parliament that would give ministers “unqualified” power to make planning decisions on behalf of local authorities. -
Manchester Airport buys Stansted for £1.5bn
Airport operator Heathrow has agreed to sell Stansted Airport to Manchester Airports Group for £1.5bn. -
Mott MacDonald appointed owner’s engineer for 67MW South African wind farm
Mott MacDonald has been appointed as owner’s engineer for the 67MW Hopefield Wind Farm in South Africa’s Western Cape province. -
Network Rail awards Balfour Beatty Crossrail rail upgrade contract
Rail operator Network Rail has awarded contractor Balfour Beatty a contract worth around £40-50M to upgrade 19km of track for Crossrail services. -
New industry BIM group launched
The Construction Industry Council’s BIM 2050 group was officially launched yesterday by chief construction advisor Peter Hansford. -
New mini excavators for Caterpillar
Caterpillar has launched three new models in its D-series mini excavator range. -
Osborne tops Network Rail's supplier list
Contractor Osborne topped a Network Rail suppliers’ performance list released this week while contractor Buckingham Group and consultant Aecom prop up the list. -
Rail structures suffer after Network Rail cash squeeze
Network Rail this week admitted that key infrastructure assets have deteriorated over the current five year financial control period because it failed to adequately explain why it needed extra funds to maintain structures and earthworks. -
Ramboll and PB in London roads win
Consultants Ramboll and Parsons Brinckerhoff have won a contract to carry out preliminary design work on Transport for London’s (TfL’s) structures and tunnels investment portfolio. -
Row erupts over Milton keynes bridge demolition
Engineers this week slammed plans to sever part of Milton Keynes’ iconic elevated road grid system by knocking down the architecturally significant Secklow Gate bridge. -
Second phase of £40m M74 upgrade gets underway
The second phase of the multi-million pound upgrade of the A74(M)/M74 between Junction 22 (Gretna) and Junction 12 (Millbank) gets underway next month. -
State of the Nation transport evidence sought
ICE wants transport organisations, experts and ICE members to submit evidence to its upcoming State of the Nation report. -
Strabag shelves windfarm foundation investment plans
Austria-based contractor Strabag has blamed uncertainty in energy policies for its decision to scrap plans to invest several hundred million Euros in a wind farm foundation factory in Germany. -
Suffolk retenders £200M highways contract
Suffolk County Council is retendering its £200M highways contract just a month after awarding preferred bidder status to contractor Balfour Beatty. -
Towering Achievements
Work on the Leaning Tower of Pisa and Big Ben’s clock tower may have secured John Burland’s position in the geotechnical halls of fame but his career in soil mechanics very nearly didn’t happen. Claire Symes reports -
Train delays compounded by overrunning engineering works
Misery for commuters waiting in sub-zero temperatures for train services delayed by snow and ice on Monday morning was made worse by over running maintenance work, NCE has learnt. -
Underground revolution
London’s early Underground projects taught engineers valuable lessons about tunnelling. Mike Chrimes reports as the Tube celebrates its 150th anniversary. -
Viewpoint: Demand led programme
Expanding the Tube for a growing city -
Viewpoint: Demand led programme
Expanding the tube for a growing city -
Viewpoint: Riding the recession
Consultants are ready for volatility -
Volvo opens factory in Latin America
A rapid rise in demand for Volvo SDLG-branded machines in Latin America has led the manufacturer Construction Equipment to create a new excavator manufacturing line and legal entity - SDLG America Latina - in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. -
Warming to the idea
Tunnels being built in the UK will deliver transport and utility improvements but they could also help meet renewable energy targets. Claire Symes reports -
WSP warns of flooding risk from melting snow
Consultant WSP has warned that the UK could face flooding as the snow that has covered the country melts.
