Member Article

Presidential visit highlights North East infrastructure

The President of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), Geoff French, has visited the North East to see best practice in action and highlight the impact the sector has on the lives of people in the region.

Each year, the ICE President spends two days in the region, culminating in ICE North East’s annual dinner and the prestigious Robert Stephenson Awards.

During the visit, Mr French toured the Tyne Pedestrian and Cyclist Tunnels, part of the Tyne Tunnels complex, which are currently under refurbishment. There, as guest of the North East Combined Authority, he heard about the role the Tyne Tunnels play in the regional transport network.

The tour, on Thursday, followed a visit on Wednesday to the new Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital, in Cramlington, which is being developed for the local Healthcare Trust by Lend Lease Ltd together with their Design Engineers Ramboll and supply chain including local earthworks contractor, Owen Pugh Ltd.

Mr French said: “One of the key aims of the Institution of Civil Engineers is to raise awareness of the value civil engineering adds to everyday life. Indeed, much of what people take for granted in modern life would not exist without the work of civil engineers. The work of TT2 in operating the Tyne Vehicle Tunnels makes life simpler for thousands of people every day and, as a civil engineer, I was proud to see the work which is ongoing there.

“The new Specialist Emergency Care Hospital similarly is hugely important to the lives of people in Northumberland, enhancing healthcare provision for the county’s population. This is something many people might simply not recognise as a contribution of civil engineering to the community, so it is very important to highlight what our industry is doing on such projects as this.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Penny Marshall .