CONTENTS 21.05.09
NewCivilEngineer
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EDITOR 1Antony Oliver (020)77284541 antony.oliver
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21.05.09 NEWCIVILENGINEER3
05
NEWS
MU is go
The fs.sbn privately financed road widening deal finally reaches financial close
18
MAJORREPORT Bladdriars Thameslink
Work to build the first railway station to straddle the Thames in London is underway.
22
PILING
Abu Dhabi Louvre
Abu Dhabi is keen to establish itself as the cultural capital of the UAE.
Aisein this issue
06 News
Prime Minister launches Crossrail at Canary Wharf
07 News
Roads framework worth f2bn goes out to tender
08 News
Downturn slows
14 Special report
How Crossrail Canary Wharf will be built
16 Letters
Business, transport, water & environment
29 ICENews
ICE plans to engineer the future
Comment
Antony Oliver
1PPAEditoroftheYearl'We couldactually hold the key to hoisting the nation from the carrent mire"
Finall, people are slarting 10 lislen 10 us: slart shouling
We should not overlook the signrncance of ICE Council being addressed this week by the government's chief scientific advisor John Beddington.
He is after ail the first chief scientific advisor to take the trouble to address a full Council meeting in living memory.
And given that his brief covers a huge spectrum of issues relating to the full gambit of science and technology-related policy, we should take this appearance as recognition that the Institution's view matters politically.
Not least because Beddington's address cornesin a week in which the prime minister added his personal weight behind the officiaI launch of the Crossrail project.
OK,for Gordon Brown right now, a trip to fast London to dig a hole and talk about the future success of this f1S.9bn public project is probably welcome relief frOIDlife in Westminster.
Compared to the holes he and bis elected
-
colleagues have been digging for themselves, the Crossraillaunch must have been a huge pleasure for him.
From the prime minister clown through the Cabinet, all the way to the chief scientific advisor, there is now a clear realisation that civil engineers are actually worth talking to.
There is a growing understanding that with our tangible, practical and deliver- able ideas about critical issues such as energy supply, transport planning, water management, carbon reduction and asset management, we coula actually hold the key to hoisting the nation frOIDthe CUITentmire.
As Brown pointed out last week: "Invest- ment into important projects like Crossrail is vital... so thatwe can grow ourway out of recession and ensure a strong future for Lond(\n and the country as a whole."
Which is a good start. We have a very long way to go before this aspiration can be fully delivered. Market confidence remains low
and serious and continuous government support for major public infrastructure proj- ects is still needed.
The goDa news is that, according to contractors, there are signs that civil engi- neering is bearing up weIl with a slowdown in the downward trend reported and much optimism for the coming 12 months.
And the long awaited financial closure this week for the fs.sbn M2S upgrade project- which follows hot on the heels of Greater Manchester's waste deal- must surely be a sign that the financial markets now also believe the government is committed to supporting important infrastructure.
There are more projects in the pipeline and we must keep championing this cause and reminding politicians what we do. For the ICE to have Beddington as an ally and a champion can only be considered as good news for every civil engineer.
