CONTENTS 07.05.09
NewCivilEngineer
ncc:
www.nce.CO.Uk
ri=' It5g
New Civil Engineer
lst Floor,GreaterLondonHouse HampsteadRoad,LondonNWl 7EJ EDITORIALINQUIRIES
Tel:(020)77284544(fax 4666) Email: prefixplus@emap.com EDITOR1Antony Oliver
(020)77284541antony.oliver DEPUTYEDITDR1JackieWhitelaw (020) 77284542 jackie.whitelaw CONTENTEDITOR1MarkHansford (020) 77284543 mark.hansford NEWSEDITOR1JohnMcKenna (020) 7728 4544 john.mckenna
SENIOR REPORTER1Alexandra Wynne (020) 77284540 alexandra.wynne
SENIOR REPORTER (WEB)1Ed Owen (020) 77284545 ed.owen
TECHNICAL REPORTER1JessicaRowson (020) 7728 4546 jessica.rowson ADVERTISING
DlSPLAYADVERTISING1JohnCoates
(020) 77284523
RECRUITMENT1Michael Maunsell (020) 77283824
05
NEWS
Crossrail cashrow
Local government legislation could let London businesses veto f3.5bn of Crossrail funding.
le
.09 NEWCIVILENGINEER3
!ÇU
1 5 MAI 2039
18
BUSINESS Aecom
As Faber Maunsell becomes Aecom, NCE speaks to European boss Ken Dalton.
20
COVER S'ORY 'hames Barrier
NCEcelebrates 25years of the Thames Barrier protecting London from flooding.
Alsoin thisissue
06 News
Businesses unaware of carbon responsibilities
08 News
UK braced for surge in flood defence spend
10 News
New Tyne Tunnel gets going
14 Analysis
Heathrow leads the way in transport revolution
16 Letters
Transport, IGE, water, D-Day 28 ICENews
Venables:Climate change is the biggest risk
Comment
AntonyOliver
1 PPAEditoroftheYearSubscribe to NCE
0844 848 8859
UKfl3D
1
FURf18DII~ow f2DD"TheThamesBarrierisa
strikingreminderof the absolute valueof infrastrudure"
Proted our health: Invest in decent modern infrastrudure
For the last 25years Londoners have been drifting off to sleep, safe in the knowledge that flood waters will not sweep through our homes and lives in the middle of the night.
It is an underappreciated factoAnd let's face it, with Swine Flu arriving in South London schools there are other things higher up the parental nocturnal worry list.
But never the less thanks must go to the pioneering engineering design and construc- tion of the Thames Barrier for providing this flood defence peace of mind since its long- awaited opening in 1984.
And like all the best public infrastruc- ture, throughout this rime the barrier has operated without the general public even knowing about its activity. Yet its reassuring presence bas allowed the capital to function despite the threat from storms, the highest of Spring rides and regular North Sea surges.
It operates without drama to remain a solid, impregnable flood defence for the
- -
capital. Under the guidance and operation of the Environment Agency, the whole network ofbarriers simply responds to need and deliver accordingly.
Without question it is a brilliant example of the forethought of infrastructure planning and the value of investing for the long term.
When built it cost just under f500M and despite some severe construction cost escala- tion it bas delivered value for money.
Twenty five years on there are lessons for politicians about the value of investing early in vital infrastructure schemes such as this, but also from the need to eut through the crazy planning politics that could so easily have seuppered even this vital project.
The need to protect the capital was, of course, first highlighted by the devastating floods of 1953.Yet political interest and avail- able funds receded and it took until the 1970S for the project to get going again.
Not before rime as since its opening,
environmental changes, sea level rise and altering development needs now mean that the barrier is of even more value than antici- pated and will, according to latest reports, keep the capital safe until207°.
But politically there are now huge oppor- tunities to reap the benefits from similar forward thinking and pioneering engi- neering that brought us the original barrier.
Schemes such as those on the table right now to combine flood protection with traffic congestion relief and access to vital develop- ment land in east London must be taken seriously- not least as we try to balance the competing pressures on public cash.
The Thames Barrier is a striking reminder of the absolute value of infrastructure.
Reacting to pandemies such as Swine Flu is important in the short term. But investing in decent modern infrastructure really does prote et the health of the nation.
. Antony Oliver is NCE's editor
