Bridge projects dominated the 2012 Historic Bridge and Infrastructure Awards which were held on 7 March at ICE’s London headquarters. Winners were presented with certificates by ICE President, Professor Barry Clarke.
Winning Projects
The repair of the virtually derelict Charles I Bridge in Leicestershire, believed to be from the 17th century, received an award. Other winning projects included: the decade-long restoration of the Forth Railway Bridge; the strengthening of the Holt Fleet Bridge in Worcestershire; and the restoration of Linlathen East Bridge in Dundee.
Commendations and special mentions
The strengthening of the Mottram Viaduct in Derbyshire and the refurbishment of the Reigate Hill Footbridge in Surrey received commendations. A special mention was also given to urgent repairs to a hanger of the Clifton Suspension Bridge.
Winning Criteria
The judges were impressed by the technical quality of the work. They also appreciated the imagination and efficiency used to solve challenging problems under difficult physical and logistical conditions.
See some photographs of the winners here.
About the Awards
The Historic Bridge and Infrastructure Awards were established in 1998 to ‘recognise and encourage excellence and innovation in conservation’. Awards are also a good way of encouraging the winners to produce papers or case studies from their projects.
The Awards were developed by ICE’s Panel for Historical Engineering Works, in tandem with the County Surveyors Society and English Heritage. They are sponsored by: British Waterways, Network Rail, English Heritage and the Association of Directors for Engineering, Planning and Transportation (ADEPT), and are supported by New Civil Engineer.