A2 scheme in Kent awarded by ICE

The A2 Pepperhill to Cobham has been named Overall Winner at the Institution of Civil Engineers Thomas Brassey Awards, the highest honour for civil engineering excellence.

The road widening scheme acheived the award for the Kent and East Sussex region.

Award categories included Transport, Water, Innovation and Community and all entries were required to have been substantially completed in the last twelve months.

The Awards were presented by Paul Jowitt, Senior Vice President of the ICE, at the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Kent and East Sussex Annual Dinner at Leeds Castle in Maidstone.

Bryan Harvey, chair of the ICE's judging panel, said "The winning projects at this year's ICE Thomas Brassey Awards demonstrate the important contribution that civil engineers make to local communities and to the competitiveness of the Kent and East Sussex region".

"I congratulate all project teams on their success".

Projects were judged on criteria such as the technical challenges involved, sustainability and engagement with the community.

The 2009 ICE Thomas Brassey Awards recipients are...

The A2 Pepperhill to Cobham road widening in Gravesend, Kent, was named Overall Winner 2009 and also received the Transportation Award.

The GBP122million scheme consisted of widening the A2 Trunk Road from dual three to dual four lanes with hard shoulders over 7.5km.

Approximately 4.5km of the scheme was constructed 'off-line' and 3km 'on-line' adjacent to live traffic.

Judges commended the project team's strong focus on sustainable development and on ensuring the safety of workers and the travelling public during planning and construction phases.

Surrounding communities benefited from the commitment to employing local workers and suppliers and are still benefiting from significant reductions in air pollution and noise pollution, which for over 2,500 homes has fallen by an average 4.5dB.

The Fastrack Everards to Ingress Park link in Greenhithe, Kent, was Highly Commended within the Transport Category.

Completed in July 2008, the 325m length of the Everards carriageway forms a vital link in the Fastrack dedicated public transport scheme between Dartford and Gravesend.

The GBP3.4million project was delivered on time and to budget due to the skills and expertise of the project team, who had to overcome engineering and sustainability challenges ranging from widespread Japanese knotweed, adjacent houses, over-steepened cliff faces, an earthworks imbalance and funding constraints.

The Ashford Ring Road project in Kent received the Award for Innovation.

Converting Ashford's 1970s concrete ring road into a network of quality streets and spaces that connect the town centre with surrounding neighbourhoods required an integrated design team of civil engineers, urban designers and architects.

The judges were particularly impressed with the innovative approach to this re-design and anticipate that this GBP9million scheme will influence future thinking on the design of the public realm in the UK.

Grain LNG Tanks - a scheme to construct Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) storage tanks on the Isle of Grain in Kent - was Highly Commended in the Innovation Category.

This GBP17million project was highlighted by judges for the innovative construction method employed, which involved erecting a smaller trial version of the storage tanks in order to test the method and materials and to train all personnel involved.

Darent Valley Path Improvements in Dartford, Kent, received the Community Award for safely and sustainably connecting the public with the River Darent whilst managing flood risk.

The judges noted the innovative approach with which the project team created a safe, enjoyable environment for both leisure walkers and cyclists whilst finding solutions to carry the path over obstacles such as a railway bridge and a busy three lane road.

This durable path will require very little maintenance and judges commended efforts to reduce environmental impact which included minimal use of natural resources during construction and the creation of additional wetland nearby.

Burham Recreation Ground's Disabled Access works in Kent were Highly Commended in the Community category for transforming the focal point in the village of Burnham whilst improving disabled access to the local recreation ground and Village Hall.

From start to completion the works took only eight weeks and also stayed on budget.

Judges were impressed with the impact that the improvements have had on the number of people walking, pushing prams and enjoying the facilities.

High Knocke to Dymchurch Redoubt Sea Defences (Frontage B) in Kent received the Water Award.

This GBP31.3million project improved a 2.2km section of sea wall on the Kent coast, offering greater protection to approximately 15,000 homes for the next 100 years, including allowance for climate change.

The new design comprised of rock armour revetment, a concrete wave return wall and improved promenade.

Works began twelve months ahead of schedule and were delivered continuously over three years instead of the originally planned phased construction over 16 years, further reducing disruption to the community.

Around GBP2.5million of the budget was saved due to timely delivery by the project team.

Lullingstone Gauging Station Improvement Works at Lullingstone Castle in Eynsford, Kent, were Highly Commended in the Water Category.

Lullingstone Gauging Station consisted of a simple horizontal weir that was constructed to maintain a lake on the River Darent for Lullingstone Castle.

These GBP186,000 works enhanced the accuracy of gauging river flows at the site, improved fish passage and provided access for operations staff to clear the weir of blockages.

Despite having only two weeks allocated to complete the works, and the start of this period coinciding with a foot of snow and heavy floods, the contract was successfully completed two days before the arrival of coach loads of tourists for the opening of the Castle, and through the whole team's commitment to the re-use of materials and waste reduction, the landfill waste from the project was less than one skip.

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