New Civil Engineer
Sean Flynn

Channel tunnel repairs on schedule

16-Dec-2008
NCE visted the Channel tunnel last week to see how repairs are progressing after the 11 September fire. Eurotunnel says its contractors will have the tunnel open for commercial operations by 15 February. Watch the video.
Repairing the Channel Tunnel

16-Dec-2008
Work is progressing under the English Channel to repair fire damage sustained earlier in the year.Watch exclusive video of the Chunnel repair work in progress
Eurotunnel calls for fire suppression rethink after Channel tunnel fire

12-Dec-2008
Eurotunnel has again rejected using covered wagons or a fire suppression system for HGV trains passing through the Channel Tunnel but has called for a rethink on other fire suppression issues.
West Bank development to reconnect Palestinians to their land

9-Dec-2008
A West Bank development to house 30,000 people is being hailed as the first Palestinian planned community.
UK's highest water treatment works plans unveiled

4-Dec-2008
Scottish Water has unveiled plans for a water treatment works to be built at the highest altitude of any works in the UK.
Venice flood triggers call for defence cash

3-Dec-2008
The floods that hit Venice this week underlined the need to press ahead with the next phase of work on the city’s Moses project flood defences, the system’s designer told NCE.
Civil engineers could be winners in green boom

24-Nov-2008
Civil engineers could be in the forefront of a 'green boom' that addresses climate change, green energy and the Credit Crunche, an environmental campaigner told engineers at Civils 2008 last week.
Stansted runway inquiry rethink after residents accuse planners of steamroller tactics

11-Nov-2008
A pre-inquiry meeting for the proposed new Stansted runway was attended by concerned local residents to consider the arrangements and timetable for the public inquiry examining the case for and against the second runway at Stansted.
London 2012 unveils Olympic park for 21st Century

6-Nov-2008
Sustainable drainage will form a crucial part of the Olympic Park, the Olympic Delivery Authority revealed yesterday when it outlined its plans for a 21st century park that draws on centuries of British park design combined with ground-breaking green technology.
Building materials firms hit by job cuts and plant closures

5-Nov-2008
Falling demand has forced construction materials manufacturers to cut jobs and slash production by 20%, it emerged this week.
Iraq engineers seek UK rebuild expertise

5-Nov-2008
British consultants are desperately needed in Iraq to improve the quality of logistics and other aspects of construction, it was claimed this week.
Venables pledges to tackle climate change

4-Nov-2008
ICE’s first female president promised to put civil engineers at the heart of the debate over how to tackle climate change during her inaugral address yesterday.
Channel Tunnel repairs to be kept at £46M

24-Oct-2008
Eurotunnel this week insisted that costs of repairing the fire damaged Channel Tunnel will not exceed €60M (£46.5M) despite conceding that the full extent of the damage caused by the September 11 blaze is still unknown.
Brighton stadium contract awarded

17-Oct-2008
The £60M contract for the construction of a new state-of-the-art Stadium for Brighton & Hove Albion FC has been awarded to Buckingham Group.
Heathrow expansion: government accused of dragging heels on EU pollution curbs

17-Oct-2008
Both opposition parties have accused the government of dragging its heels on implementing EU clean air legislation in it efforts to push through Heathrow’s third runway.
ICE hosts fringe meetings at the major party conferences

15-Oct-2008
The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) stepped up its political activity last month by organising fringe events at all three party conferences.
West Midlands networking event a big success

15-Oct-2008
Networking is a vital part of the engineer’s tool kit and this concept was not lost on the graduates and students of the West Midlands.
ICE headquarters damaged by leaky central heating system

15-Oct-2008
Up to 4,500 books and historically significant documents were damaged when jets of water from defective underfloor heating gushed through the ICE library, it was revealed this week.
Call to ban lorries from Channel Tunnel until fire cause is known

15-Oct-2008
Lorries should be banned from using the Channel tunnel until the cause of the 11 September fire has been ascertained, Rail Freight Group (RFG) chairman Lord Berkeley said this week.
Next stage for Turner Contemporary

15-Oct-2008
The UK's oldest building company has been awarded the contract to build the Turner Contemporary gallery in Margate.
Londoners denied another part of their Olympic legacy say Tories

15-Oct-2008
London Assembly Conservative Olympics spokesman Andrew Boff, expressed disappointment this week that legacy plans for the aquatics centre in the Olympic Park have been scrapped.
Opposition calls for inquiry after 'near flooding' of nuclear sites

14-Oct-2008
The Liberal Democrats have called for a full public inquiry into potentially catastrophic flooding at the Atomic Weapons Establishment site at Burghfield, in Berkshire during the 2007 floods.
Government told airport expansion doesn't add up

14-Oct-2008
Airport expansion 'just doesn’t add up' trade unions and environmental and transport campaigners told the government today.
Fire stripped off Channel Tunnel lining

9-Oct-2008
Large chunks of the fire damaged concrete lining in the Channel Tunnel have fallen off, the lead French investigator into the blaze on 11 September said this week.
Channel tunnel fire burns up Eurotunnel profits

8-Oct-2008
The Channel tunnel fire on 11 September has cost operators Eurotunnel €22M (£17.2M).
Scots hire Drinking Water Safety team

7-Oct-2008
Scottish Water has appointed Mott MacDonald, MWH and Halcrow to produce Drinking Water Safety Plans (DWSPs) covering the entire population of Scotland.
Watermans posts strong year-end results

6-Oct-2008
A 57% increase in overseas business saw Waterman Group beat market expectations with revenues of £136.4M for the year to June 2008.
Nottingham carpark shuts amid collapse fears

1-Oct-2008
Fears that a concrete multi-storey car park in Nottingham was in danger of collapse resulted in its emergency closure this week.
Channel tunnel fire: French investigators give go-ahead for train move

1-Oct-2008
French rail investigation body BEA-TT today sanctioned the removal of the train burnt during a serious fire in the north channel tunnel in September.
New health and safety post announced for London and 2012

12-Sep-2008
Stephen Williams is to take up the newly created post of Director of Field Operations (London) and the Olympics at the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Essex wetland moves ahead

11-Sep-2008
Europe’s largest artificial wetlands project took another step forward last week when the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) submitted its scoping study.
Rural flooding hits North East

11-Sep-2008
Last weekend’s floods in England and Wales underlined the need for better management of run-off from agricultural and rural land, flooding and drainage experts claimed this week.
Water complaints up says CCWater

11-Sep-2008
Southern Water, South East Water and South West Water had the highest number of complaints last year said the Consumer Council for Water (CCWater).
Engineers on short supply list

10-Sep-2008
Transport, ground and electricity generation engineers were included in the first recommended shortage occupation list published by the Home Office migration advisory committe on Monday.
Cross exits WSP to join Scott Wilson

9-Sep-2008
Tony Cross has been appointed as Scott Wilson's global head of its transport consultancy, moving from consultants WSP.
Weekend flood chaos with more to come

8-Sep-2008
Widespread flooding over the weekend caused chaos in the north east of England, Yorkshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire with more heavy rain predicted this week.
Water faces cost hikes

22-Aug-2008
Inflation will be the biggest single challenge facing the water industry as it proposes to spend a massive £27bn over the five years from 2010 to 2015, warned consultants and contractors this week.
Silent partners

22-Aug-2008
An paper about the construction of Camp Bastion in Afghanistan has triggered a debate about the relationship between civil and military engineering. Sean Flynn investigates.
Engineering applications up 7 per cent says ETB

19-Aug-2008
Applications to engineering and technology courses have jumped 7% over the past five years according to new research from the Engineering and Technology Board (ETB).
Belfast Westlink under 6m of water

18-Aug-2008
Severe flooding continues to affect many parts of Ireland and Northern Ireland this week, with Ulster the hardest hit.
Jersey - Staten Island bridge to be replaced

15-Aug-2008
Goethals Bridge in New York is to be replaced, said the New York and New Jersey Port Authority (panynj) today. It plans to award construction contracts in 2011 with completion expected for 2015.
Ireland battered by rain and floods, with more to come

12-Aug-2008
Ireland may take up to two weeks for insurers to put a price on the deluge of 'monsoon proportion' last weekend, which caused severe flooding, particularly in the east.
Water companies propose to invest £27bn over five years

12-Aug-2008
The UK's water companies have proposed a combined spend of £27bn over the five years beginning 2010.
Water consumers face inflation-busting price increases

11-Aug-2008
Water companies have today defended the proposed inflation-busting price rises included in their draft business plans.
Pell Frischmann makes The Cut for collaboration award

7-Aug-2008
Pell Frischmann have won 'Best Project Collaboration' at the 2008 BEX (Building Exchange) Awards, for their work on 'The Cut' in south London.
Protests in Kent over coal-fired power

6-Aug-2008
More than 500 climate change protesters have clashed with police at Kent's Kingsnorth coal-fired power station this week.
Beckton Desalination Plant

6-Aug-2008
Britain's first desalination plant is to be built at Beckton in East London.
Government aims to limit cost of regulation

6-Aug-2008
The Government today revealed plans to set limits on the cost of introducing new regulations to British businesses by setting 'regulatory budgets' for each Government department.
Thames Tideway

5-Aug-2008
Thames tideway is a mega tunnelling project planned for London by 2020.
EA giving water companies a licence to pollute

5-Aug-2008
Failure to regulate up to 3,500 combined sewer overflows (CSOs) in England and Wales means the Environment Agency is effectively giving water companies 'a licence to pollute', it was claimed this week.
Skanska wins MOD contract

5-Aug-2008
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has named Skanska preferred bidder for the design and construction of a new £120M facility at RAF Wyton.
Civils performance 'poor' according to latest indicators

4-Aug-2008
Civil engineering continues to outperform the rest of the construction sector but this is little cause for celebration according to the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS).
DfT greenlights Alderley by-pass

29-Jul-2008
The Department for Transport (DfT) has given the go-ahead for construction of a £51M bypass of two villages in the North West.
No done deal for eco-developers says Flint

29-Jul-2008
Developers will not have carte blanche when it comes to building the government's proposed eco-towns, said housing minister Caroline Flint yesterday
Humberside police HQ to be flood-proofed

29-Jul-2008
Humberside Police headquarters will be the first major public building in Hull to be completely flood resistant.
Eco towns to be built to toughest ever green standards says Flint

25-Jul-2008
Eco-towns will be built to the UK's toughest ever green standards, claimed a government minister yesterday.
Construction tsar post must ‘not be political’

24-Jul-2008
ICE director general Tom Foulkes warned that the appointment of a chief construction officer – recommended by the Commons Business and Enterprise select committee report Construction Matters – must not be political.
Eco-towns to add little

24-Jul-2008
Eco-towns will contribute “very little” to the reduction of the government’s emissions target according to ICE director general, Tom Foulkes.
Tube station closed to head off dispute

24-Jul-2008
London Underground (LU) closed a key tube station for eight months for an escalator replacement because it would rather antagonise its passengers than a developer, one MP claimed this week.
Skanska UK boss quits after PPP writedown

24-Jul-2008
Skanska UK chief executive David Fison is to leave the company after seven years in the top job.
Bridge beam installation marks milestone on A19

22-Jul-2008
Bridge beams on the new bridge over the A19 at Black Swan in North Yorkshire were installed last weekend.
Engineers learn to spin a yarn

21-Jul-2008
Engineering and rhetoric have long been perceived as mutually exclusive disciplines but the Royal Academy of Engineering aims to change all that.
Thames Water tops DWI survey

17-Jul-2008
Thames Water has the best drinking water and the most satisfied customers in England and Wales.
Healey pledges £18.7M to flooded communities

17-Jul-2008
Floods recovery minister John Healey announced today that 18 local authorities in Yorkshire and Humber would together receive £18.7M to support their efforts to rebuild communities after last summer's floods.
Burma refugee camps resisted

16-Jul-2008
Engineers helping the relief effort in cyclone-stricken Burma have resisted government efforts to corral people into vast refugee camps, one returning volunteer claimed this week.
Manchester offers congestion charge discounts to low paid workers

16-Jul-2008
Low paid workers are likely to be big benefactors of the Manchester Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) package, local officials claimed today.
Credit crunch hits water spend

10-Jul-2008
Consultants fear the credit crunch is hitting water industry spending as workloads are beginning to dry up well ahead of the end of the current five year spending cycle.
G&S paper winner is announced

10-Jul-2008
Andrew Jackson, a PhD student from Cambridge University, has claimed the 2008 Graduate and Student Papers Competition after an inspiring presentation on 'Pile Jacking in Sand and Silt.'
ICE lacrosse team makes history, but fails to beat the mechanicals

10-Jul-2008
The ICE and IMechE lacrosse teams meet for a history making game.
Kier Group managers meet Military standards

10-Jul-2008
ICE president David Orr congratulated 20 new operational managers at Kier Group who completed two days of gruelling outdoor training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst last week.
Orr impressed by Oxfordshire’s flood prevention/rescue scheme

10-Jul-2008
Orr takes a look at how Oxfordshire are preparing for the worst effects of flooding
Face-lift for West End mains

9-Jul-2008
The cast iron Victorian mains in London's West End's are set to be replaced next month in a £5.8M improvement scheme. Thames Water will replace more than 7.2km of pipes that are up to 150 years old.
Runcorn mains replacement begins

9-Jul-2008
United Utilities this week began the £6.3M replacement of Victorian water mains in Runcorn, Cheshire.
Engineer to rally pink Panda to Mongolia

9-Jul-2008
Watermans structural engineer Ashley List will race to Mongolian capital Ulan Bator for charity.
SUDS, floods and Tewkesbury

8-Jul-2008
Sustainable drainage systems (SUDS) need to be the focus for a shift in flood risk management thinking on, engineers were told last week.
TIF is the only game in town

7-Jul-2008
The Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) is the only credible option for transport funding for Greater Manchester’s transport network according to the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA).
Skills shortage is a demographical timebomb say skills council

30-Jun-2008
Civil engineering could lose up to 20% of its manpower over the next ten years in a 'workforce time bomb' say the industry’s sector skills council ConstructionSkills.
Credit crunch hits site investigation

27-Jun-2008
Downturns in the property and housing sector are starting to hit site investigation firms, contractors said this week.
United States looks to Europe as Mississippi floods Iowa

27-Jun-2008
Extensive flooding in the upper Mississippi this week prompted the American Society for Civil Engineers (ASCE) to call for a radical rethink of United States river flood defence strategy.
Eco-towns to eco-slums without local government input

26-Jun-2008
The government's eco-towns project is 'significantly flawed' and 'Whitehall diktats' ignoring local council input mean the proposed developments risk becoming 'eco-slums' of the future according to a new report by the Local Government Association (LGA).
Faber Maunsell win Bulgarian transport study

24-Jun-2008
Faber Maunsell have won as £2M contract with Bulgaria's transport ministery to draw up a general transport masterplan for the country's infrastructure.
Tarrant appointed IHT President

24-Jun-2008
Gifford director David Tarrant has been inaugurated as president of the Institution of Highways & Transportation (IHT) for 2008-9.
Cornish cream £34M in regeneration

24-Jun-2008
Cornwall yesterday won £34M of government investment for regeneration and local infrastructure.
Academic diplomas a distraction says CBI

23-Jun-2008
The government's plans to introduce humanities and languages to its diploma strategy could undermine the integrity of GCSEs and A levels, says the CBI.
Give us a flood strategy now, urge insurers

19-Jun-2008
Insurers yesterday renewed calls for a long-term flood management strategy.
Environment Agency to take lead role in flooding

17-Jun-2008
The Environment Agency is to take the lead in flood risk management said Environment Minister Phil Woolas.
Government sustainable construction strategy gets mixed welcome

13-Jun-2008
The government's new Strategy for Sustainable Construction lacks teeth according to the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA).
Councils given greater planning powers of flood protection

13-Jun-2008
More power is being given to councils to protect those living in flood risk areas and planning minister Caroline Flint has urged local authorities to get crack down on inappropriate building on flood plains.
Local communities invited for 'no-strings' nuclear waste chat

13-Jun-2008
The government has invited communities for 'no commitment' discussions on hosting geological disposal facilities for radioactive waste while offering the sweetener of a multi-billion local investment.
Downturn is takeover opportunity for Hyder

11-Jun-2008
A credit crunch-induced downturn in the UK construction market could present Hyder Consulting with a series of takeover opportunities in 12 to 24 month times, chief executive Tim Wade said this week.
Maze prison stadium in doubt after minister axed

11-Jun-2008
The site of the notorious Maze prison as a venue for Northern Ireland’s multi-use sports stadium is in serious doubt after culture minister Edwin Poots was axed from the Stormont Executive on Tuesday.
Local 'sheriffs' for cowboys

10-Jun-2008
Local authorities should have more powers to stop cowboy builders operating said the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB).
Councils given go-ahead to claim for flood cash

10-Jun-2008
Flood-hit areas can claim back up to 85% of costs incurred following bad weather conditions in January according to the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).
Severn Trent defends use of reverse auctions for consultants

5-Jun-2008
Severn Trent Water this week defended its decision to use reverse auctions, despite strong opposition from consultants.
Superlorries not permitted on UK roads - Kelly

3-Jun-2008
So-called 'superlorries' will not be making their way onto UK roads any time soon.
United Utilities posts £475M profit

3-Jun-2008
United Utilities posted a profit of £475M for the year ended 31 March 2008, a year in which it spent over £800M on infrastructure.
Flash floods swamp Somerset

2-Jun-2008
Somerset experienced torrential downpours and flash-flooding last week giving the county's emergency services their 'busiest night in living history'.
Network Rail's bank holiday bonanaza

29-May-2008
Network Rail completed work worth more than £45M over the Bank Holiday weekend. More than 4,000 people were employed on projects up and down the network.
RedR mobilises for cyclone hit Burma

29-May-2008
Disaster relief charity RedR has received approaches from Save the Children and Merlin (Medical Emergency Relief International) for logistics staff for their Burmese disaster relief operations.
No curb on investment

29-May-2008
The credit crunch will not curb long term public investment in infrastructure, chancellor Alistair Darling told business leaders last week.
Defra seeks feedback on groundwater proposals

29-May-2008
The government is looking for feedback on proposed amendments to the Groundwater Regulations 1998.
Defra accused of doing not doing enough to meet Water Framework targets

27-May-2008
Leading members of the water pollution prevention and control industry yesterday warned that the Government risks failing to meet the requirements of the Water Framework Directive – which could lead to the UK being heavily fined.
Holiday rail maintenance spend tops £45M

27-May-2008
Network Rail carried out over £45M worth of work over the Bank Holiday weekend.
Balfour Beatty wins Texan road contract

23-May-2008
Balfour Beatty has won a $330M (£166.6M) design and build contract for the 281 North Toll highway in Texas.
Burma aid workers stuck in former capital

22-May-2008
The Burmese junta is still dragging its heels on aid visas
Foulkes gives ETB 12 months to deliver

20-May-2008
ICE director general sets Board target
China quake leaves nearly 12,000 dead

14-May-2008
Storms and aftershocks were this week frustrating rescue operations in the earthquake stricken Sichuan province of China.
ICE gives mixed welcome to Beckton plant

13-May-2008
The ICE called for a shake-up of water resource planning following the announcement of the Mayor of London's intention to drop his office's legal challenge to the Beckton desalination plant.
Capita wins £75M Welsh contracts

13-May-2008
Capita Symonds has been selected as successful bidder in a joint venture with three Welsh councils for highways, transportation, associated environmental management, and other related services to the authorities and across Wales.
MPs tackle greening old buildings

12-May-2008
The All Party Urban Development Group held its first parliamentary inquiry into greening existing offices, shops and warehouses takes yesterday.
Cyclone smashes into Burma

9-May-2008
Logistics hamper effective aid delivery
Greenbelt erosion blamed on government

7-May-2008
Four square miles of green belt are lost to developers every year, according to the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE).
Balfour Beatty buys Blackpool Airport

6-May-2008
Balfour Beatty's specialist airport investment and development group Regional and City Airports (RCA) has bought a 95% stake in Blackpool International Airport for £14M.
RedR runs in the London Marathon

25-Apr-2008
Runners face 26.2 miles around central London to raise funds for the disaster relief charity.
Capita acquires award-winning firm

25-Apr-2008
Award-winning consultancy NRM Bobrowski has been bought by Capita Symonds for an undisclosed sum.
MPs criticise Health and Safety consultants and 'underfunded' HSE

21-Apr-2008
The HSE lacks resources and its fines are too low, and the agency will suffer from an unpopular proposed move to Merseyside, according to a new report by the Work and Pensions Committee of MPs.
Benefits the key not 'shiny things'

16-Apr-2008
The retention of members in the crossover from student to graduate status was high on the agenda when the Institution of Civil Engineers' Graduate and Student Network (GSNet) met in York last weekend.
Whitbybird scoops award for engineering in schools

16-Apr-2008
Ramboll Whitbybird has won the inaugural E3 Award for Excellent Engineers working with Education in London. Halcrow was the runner-up.
Green town plan shuns civils

16-Apr-2008
Engineers this week slammed the government’s failure to include their profession in the panel which is overseeing plans to develop eco-towns.
Carillion and WSP land £85M contract

15-Apr-2008
Joint venture partners Carillion and WSP have been awarded a five year £85M Managing Agent Contractor Contract (MAC) for the Highways Agency for area 8.
Summer start to Tyne tunnel works

14-Apr-2008
Construction on the new Tyne Tunnel is due to start in June at the earliest said a spokesman for The New Tyne Crossing.
Regionalisation of the ICE 'has improved its service'

9-Apr-2008
Regionalisation has been a good thing for the ICE, according to a paper presented at the last Council meeting. Benefits include 'efficiencies, higher level of service and greater impact'.
Scottish school kids win US army bridge competition

9-Apr-2008
Hamilton College pupils Martyn McLay (14) and Stuart McGowan (14) have won a prestigious online engineering competition run in Scotland by the ICE using software from top US military academy, West Point.
Estuary tidal power prototype to be tested

9-Apr-2008
Planning permission was granted this week for a prototype tidal stream generator to be tested in the Humber Estuary near Grimsby.
EDF advised to rethink nuclear strategy in UK

9-Apr-2008
French power company EDF's proposed takeover of British Energy may not be the best way to further its nuclear ambitions in the UK, it was claimed this week.
Hard-shoulder running may replace M25 widening

9-Apr-2008
The Highways Agency's business plan suggests that some of M25 widening may be scrapped in favour of active traffic management
Eco towns slammed as 'Emperor's new clothes'

8-Apr-2008
One airport runway equals four hundred eco-towns according to local environmental pressure groups CO2 and 2M.
Humber wave trial gets go-ahead

7-Apr-2008
Energy secretary John Hutton has given the go-ahead for a prototype tidal stream generator to be tested in the Humber Estuary near Grimsby.
Engineers face music in University Challenge

1-Apr-2008
The Royal Academy of Engineers general knowledge comes under Jeremy Paxman's scrutiny next week
Engineers face music in University Challenge

1-Apr-2008
The Royal Academy of Engineers general knowledge comes under Jeremy Paxman's scrutiny next week
Highways widening schemes under threat

28-Mar-2008
The Highways Agency's 2008 business plan relies heavily on Active Traffic Management (ATM), and motorway widening schemes such as the M1 south of Leeds and the M6 are likely to be victims.
Ipswich flood defence gets go-ahead

25-Mar-2008
A £40M-plus solution to Ipswich's flood fears has moved a big step closer as the Environment Agency has announced that the first phase of funding is secure.
Making a home from home

7-Mar-2008
Royal Engineers are preparing to stay longer in Afghanistan than Prince Harry, confirms NCE's Seán Flynn.
AFGHAN ACTION

7-Mar-2008
Work carried out by the Royal Engineers continues at full pace to restore some form of stability in Afghanistan, as Sean Flynn discovers in Camp Bastion and the surrounding Helmand Province.
Engineers need to be more forceful say MPs

5-Mar-2008
Ian Gibson talks to the ICE & IMechE about how to raise engineers' profile within the media.
Two million holes a year in English and Welsh roads

29-Feb-2008
Two millions holes are dug in the roads of England and Wales and are reducing the life of roads by as much as 30% according to a survey.
M27 widening to start this weekend

22-Feb-2008
Costain will start this weekend on the £36M widening of the M27 near Southampton.
Amey triple-whammy

21-Feb-2008
Amey has won three contracts worth a total of £750M; one each from Hampshire and Hertfordshire Highways and a property services contract from the Home Office.
Passion or profession?

20-Feb-2008
Who should be running civils businesses, and does it matter if they are engineers or from other fields? Seán Flynn reports.
Engineering students suffer highest drop-out rates, say MPs

20-Feb-2008
First year engineering, maths and computing students are more likely to drop out than their counterparts in other faculties according to a report released by the influential Public Accounts Committee of MPs.
Olympic Park Energy Centre Plans announced

19-Feb-2008
The Olympic Development Authority (ODA) has unveiled its designs for the Olympic Park Energy Centre.
Different Strokes

13-Feb-2008
The ACE and ICE are using different approaches to address the chronic skills shortage in the engineering sector. Seán Flynn reports.
Liverpool launches 'benchmark' degree

13-Feb-2008
Liverpool University this week launched a new engineering qualification which it hopes will become the benchmark for the way engineering is taught in the UK.
More flood cash for worst hit areas

13-Feb-2008
The government has earmarked a further £1.6M for flood relief to be distributed among six authorities in hardest hit areas.
New boss at Highways Agency

13-Feb-2008
Contractors this week gave a cool reception to the appointment of Anglian Water supply chain manger Nirmal Kotecha as the Highways Agency's head of major projects.
Ground investigations begin for new Forth crossing

12-Feb-2008
Land searches, environmental surveys and ground investigations get underway this month for the proposed new Forth crossing.
Civils book aims to excite public

30-Jan-2008
Inspirational civils projects used to increase understanding.
Army hardens Afghan Accommodation

30-Jan-2008
The British Army in Afghanistan is looking at using a type of reusable formwork which can create ready made panels for military accommodation.
EA repair Saxon dock

28-Jan-2008
One of London's last remaining Anglo-Saxon waterfront features is under repair by the Environmental Agency and the City of London Corporation at a cost of £1.7M.
ODA published detailed programme of Olympic work

18-Jan-2008
The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has outlined the detailed programme of works needed for the 2012 games.
Construction inflation set to soar

15-Jan-2008
Soaring construction inflation could see the gap between actual construction costs and Treasury expectations widen to £8bn by 2015, the ICE has warned.
End stop-go public spending

15-Jan-2008
ICE this week urged the Government to create a national infrastructure planning body to end the 'stop-start' public spending cycle that delays and pushes up the cost of UK projects.
Glendoe TBM breaks through

15-Jan-2008
'Eliza Jane', the Tunnel boring machine (TBM) broke through at the Glendoe Hydroelectric site last week, having completed eight kilometres of tunnels, and climbing over 600m in height.
Green monster

15-Jan-2008
Nuclear power is claimed to be the green solution for our energy needs. But questions about our energy mix remain.
Thinktank calls for massive increase in road funding with road user charging

15-Jan-2008
Congestion on the UK’s road network is costing up £20bn a year according to research conducted by thinktank Policy Exchange.
HA launch new haulage routing system

14-Jan-2008
The second stage of Highways Agency's Electronic Service Delivery for Abnormal Loads (ESDAL) system went live today.
Maze prison stadium plan thrown into limbo

11-Jan-2008
Plans to redevelop Northern Ireland's Maze prison as a 38,000 seat stadium faced an uncertain future this week after a key political committee snubbed a presentation by the project's consultants.
Row set to erupt over new nuclear energy plans

9-Jan-2008
Government plans for a raft of new nuclear power stations are set to be unveiled today by secretary of state for business, enterprise and regulatory reform, John Hutton.
Cabinet backs new nuclear plans

9-Jan-2008
Gordon Brown’s cabinet agreed yesterday to back plans allowing for the development of another generation of nuclear power stations.
Leakfrog to reduce Thames water leaks by 25%

2-Jan-2008
Thames Water aims to cut leakage by up to a quarter with a newly developed domestic monitoring device.
EA searches for demountable flood defences

21-Dec-2007
The Environment Agency said yesterday it is tendering across Europe for demountable flood defences for the Osney Island area of Oxford City at an estimated cost of £200,000.
DEFRA to simplify CO2 reduction measures for businesses

20-Dec-2007
The Department for Environment, Food And Rural Affairs (Defra) yesterday announced the launch of a consultation into measures to simplify regulations businesses face in cutting CO2 emissions.
New transport planner qualification

19-Dec-2007
A new transport planner's qualification was launched today.
Amey, Lagan, Ferrovial consortium win £250M NI roads contract

19-Dec-2007
A consortium of Amey, Lagan and Ferrovial has signed a £250M contract with the Northern Ireland Department for Regional Development Roads Services to build and upgrade a series of roads in the area.
PAC slams Environment Agency for not spending enough

18-Dec-2007
The Public Accounts Committee has singled out the Environment Agency for particular criticism in a new report into this summer's floods.
Midlands Framework 3 contracts awarded

14-Dec-2007
The Midlands Highways Alliance (MHA), made up of ten councils and the Highways Agency, has awarded The Midlands Framework 3 (MF3) contract to Balfour Beatty/Birse (joint venture), Carillion, Osbornes/Aggregate Industries (joint venture) and Tarmac.
Heated exchange

12-Dec-2007
Bracknell College’s new foundations will incorporate geothermal piles to help heat the building.
Culture change needed to rid construction of corruption, says industry boss

28-Nov-2007
Corruption in construction will only be tackled with a dramatic culture change on a scale last seen in the reform of health and safety in the industry, according to chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) Chris Blythe this week.
Engineer claims discrimination

14-Nov-2007
A Pakistan-born civil engineer from Cardiff was this week locked in a legal battle with Amec Utilities which he is claiming turned him down for an interview because of his 'foreign-sounding' name.
Irish M-way in Euro court fight

25-Oct-2007
Archaeological find not included in original environmental statement
Hard shoulder running to extend

25-Oct-2007
Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly has announced plans to roll out a new traffic management scheme including hard shoulder running following a successful pilot scheme on the M42.
Hard shoulder running to extend

25-Oct-2007
Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly has announced plans to roll out a new traffic management scheme, including hard shoulder running, following a successful pilot scheme on the M42.
Ireland's cross border canal restoration agreed by ministers

24-Oct-2007
Restoration of Ireland's only cross-border canal was given the go-ahead at a North-South ministerial council meeting last week.The £23.8M scheme to restore the 13km Erne to Clones section of the 77km Ulster Canal is aimed at opening up the waterways to leisure boats and forms part of an ongoing programme of cross-border initiatives.Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Minister Éamon Ó Cuív from the Republic and Northern Ireland culture minister ...

NCE AT THE HEART OF THE INDUSTRY FOR 40 YEARS

New Civil EngineerSean Flynn

New Civil Engineer
Sean Flynn