Civil engineering award for north Shropshire roundabout
Road markings on a revamped Shropshire roundabout have hardly had time to dry but it has already won a top award.
Civil engineers in the West Midlands have given the Mile End roundabout project in Oswestry the Communication Award for the way that Balfour Beatty, WSP and Shropshire Council communicated the project.
The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) judges were impressed by the way they "engaged" with "stakeholders."
A spokesperson for ICE says engagement was key to the success of the project, which involved the construction of an additional roundabout to allow traffic using the A5 to bypass the Mile End roundabout.
The scheme also incorporated a local diversion off the A5 to form a new dumbbell junction.
The ICE adds that along with improving the existing road layout and relieving congestion, this new layout has enabled housing proposals to be brought forward and will accelerate employment opportunities with the new Oswestry Innovation Park that will now be going ahead earlier than planned.
Judges were impressed by the way the project team used "engaging stakeholder communications and the positive impact they had on the wider community."
The judges were also impressed that the project was able to utilise the local supply chain, with £3m invested in the area with 86 per cent of those employed on the project living within a 40-mile radius.
Staff from the project also volunteered on a number of local community projects – including clearing a site and fence building at Whittington Castle and raising £3,000 for Severn Hospice.
The ICE held its first in-person West Midlands Awards Ceremony since 2019 on Thursday (May 5) at the MacDonald Burlington Hotel in Birmingham.
Jo Barnett, ICE east and west Midlands regional director, congratulated Balfour Beatty, WSP and Shropshire Council for winning the award.
"Our annual awards play an important role in not only demonstrating the importance of our civil engineers, whose hard work and dedication can often go unnoticed, but also in celebrating the positive impact that civil engineering has on everyday lives.
“It was great that this year we were able to host a live after a two-year hiatus and come together in person to recognise and celebrate civil engineering at its very best in the region."
The ICE West Midlands Awards attract entries from civil engineering projects and people from across the region, all hoping to win one of the 15 main categories.