The members’ newsletter of ICE Yorkshire and Humber March 2013
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ICE Local
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In this issue Annual Awards Special 4-page insert focusing on our recent Award winners. Featuring project descriptions and comments from the judging panel.
New Manganese Contactors at Rivelin Water Treatment Works Centenary Award Winner 2013
Bringing you news and views on civil engineering in your Region We welcome your comments, letters and articles. Please contact us at: iceyandh@ice.org.uk Twitter:
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ICE Yorkshire and Humber Region group
Lecture Series Owen Winters on the City Park, Bradford series and site visit.
G&S Papers Competition Kelly Gordon wins the Regional Final in Leeds.
Regional Achiever At the ICE Dinner on Friday 15 March I was joined by 220 people - a very enjoyable evening which was the highlight of my year as Chair. The event gave us all the opportunity to socialise and network as well as a chance to celebrate success with the Awards.
We are keen to promote civil engineering on construction sites to the general public. The ICE have developed a ‘This is Civil Engineering’ banner to be placed in a similar manner to the ‘Considerate Constructor’ banners you will have seen on sites.
ICE Member Benefits Elizabeth Thompson on the benefit of Membership Surgeries.
The ICE has a role to promote civil engineering and raise the profile of our profession. This is done within our region through: The Regional Education Team The work of the Committee and RST: Supporting the Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and chambers of commerce Providing evening meetings where the public are invited Producing a new Public Voice newsletter to be launched later this year
New ICE Fellow and Regional Chair John Bowes.
Managed Motorways If you have a prominent site starting soon please let us know.
The proposed upgrades to M1 Junctions 32-35a and 39-42.
Council Elections John Bowes BEng CEng FICE ICE Y&H Chair 2012-13
Regional Member of Council Richard Dew on why your vote counts.
Annual Lecture Series
Behind the scenes on the site visit
This year’s Lecture Series, organised by the Graduates’ and Students’ Committee, focused on Bradford City Park, a regeneration project at the heart of Bradford. Over a period of three weeks, presentations from the client, consultant and contractor gave attendees an excellent opportunity to learn about the full cycle a project goes through from initial conception to completion.
the project worked, working with the client to develop a scheme which met their needs and aspirations while staying within their budget, and working with the contractor to design something that could actually be built. The final presentation by Tim Bowers, from Birse Civils, looked at key construction issues faced during the construction phase of a multi million pound project in a city centre location.
The first week’s lecture, given by Shelagh O’Neill (Project Director for City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council), explained the background to the project, the importance of the project to Bradford and its residents and how a client is involved during a major project, as well as the complexities of securing financial backing for a project in a difficult economic climate.
The lecture series concluded with a site visit to the City Park, giving people the opportunity to see the finished project. Accompanied by the City Park team the tour included the parts of the park open to the public as well as the chance to see behind the scenes inside the control room for the complex Mirror Pool fountain system.
This was followed by a presentation from Niall Bourke of Arup, the lead consultant on the project. Niall explained how the design process for
Special thanks go to Shelagh, Niall and Tim for their assistance with the Lecture Series and to Leeds Metropolitan University for allowing us to use their lecture theatre.
G&S Papers Competition Regional Final Leeds Metropolitan University hosted the G&S Papers Competition Regional Final on 31 January. Despite the weather an enthusiastic audience turned out to support the speakers and ask them a range of difficult questions. Kelly Gordon of Mott MacDonald presented her paper, ‘The Behaviour of Recycled Crushed Bricks Subjected to Freeze Thaw Conditions’, followed by Helen Miles of Arup, with her paper ‘A Preliminary Study Towards Social Attitudes to Urine Diversion in Britain’.
Kelly Gordon
Kelly’s presentation described her involvement in research into the behaviour of crushed brick with respect to the freeze-thaw resistance of the material. The research was carried out as part of a larger project
Regional Achiever
to assess the usage of crushed brick as an engineering fill. Helen talked us through her research which aimed to answer the question “If urine diverting toilets were to be introduced in Britain what social barriers would need to be overcome?” Her research showed that there was a possibility for a market for urine-fertilised food and left the audience and judges with a few new ideas on how they could improve their strawberry plants! Both speakers remained calm under questioning, and left the audience and judges impressed with their presentations. Following a great deal of deliberation by the judges, Kelly Gordon was declared the winner, with her paper being put forward for consideration for the National Final later on in the year. Kelly and Helen were each awarded a share of the £250 prize fund.
The region and Committee are very pleased to announce that our current Chair, John Bowes, has been accepted as a Fellow of the Institution. John has been a member of the Institution for over 20 years, joining as a Student member whilst studying at Nottingham Trent University. In 1997 John became a Member of the Institution and has since played an active role in the development of younger engineers, both as a delegated engineer in his early career and then as a supervising engineer. John has been a valued member of the regional committee for many years, serving initially as the External Affairs officer, moving on to lead the Public Voice subgroup and now leading the committee as Chair. John is Divisional Director for Transport and Infrastructure at Mott MacDonald, based in their Sheffield office. He is responsible for the management of the highways, transport planning, bridges, rail and light rail teams in Leeds and Sheffield. John is also the practise leader for Highways covering Europe and Africa, having an overseeing role for technical, business development and strategy. A highlight of his career was managing the £65m health island in Bahrain, taking the scheme from master plan to detailed design. We wish John many congratulations and hope that he can act as an inspiration for other senior engineers to apply for fellowship in the near future.
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ICE Member Benefits - Membership Surgeries In Yorkshire and Humber we have traditionally carried out membership surgeries in January in four locations. It has given many people (members and non-members) a chance to book a dedicated appointment to see us on a one-to-one basis. As an MDO I see a variety of people with an assortment of queries during that time. In the recent York Surgery I covered all routes to membership from Technician to Direct Entry Fellow, and it is a real opportunity for anyone who is interested in the ICE to come and talk to us about anything membership related. It’s a one hour slot for you to talk to us. Mark Calvert from York City Council said: “I found the surgery very useful, answered all the questions I had and sent me in the right direction.” As we continue to grow ICE membership, part of our contribution to this is to change the way we work as MDOs. We need to be smarter with our time to provide access to more members. The first of these changes
is that from April 2013 you will be able to access an MDO every month somewhere in the region. This gives everyone more opportunities to chat about their route to membership of any grade and get one-to-one advice on their individual circumstances. Full details of dates and locations can be found at: ice.org.uk/yorkshireandhumber/membership-surgeries We would also like to thank Tata Steel Projects, Leeds Metropolitan University, University of Bradford, Atkins Rail, Alan Wood and Partners, and Eastwood and Partners for hosting us for these events thus far in 2013. Whatever your query please book an appointment and come along and see what we can do for you!
Elizabeth Thompson Membership Development Officer
M1 Junction 32-35a and 39-42 Proposed Managed Motorways Where a ‘managed motorway’ is in operation, an emergency refuge area is provided at intervals as a zone of comparative safety for breakdowns and recovery vehicles. Breakdowns are monitored by the Highways Agency to protect road users by the use of lane control information and changes in speed limits set by the control centres to effectively manage the area. Research suggests that the managed motorway system delivers significant safety and journey time benefits. This system has now been in use in the UK since 2006 and is currently being extended to increase capacity in problem areas, including the M1, as part of the Government’s road improvement initiatives.
With ever increasing volumes of traffic, congestion and the requirement to improve journey times, alternative cost effective solutions to improve our motorways are becoming a priority. Managed motorways are a technology-driven approach to the use of our motorways, improving journey time reliability and controlling traffic flows through variable speed limits. The approach adopted on the M42 and M6 have been further developed. This approach is known as managed motorways-all lane running. Signs and signals will be used to inform drivers of conditions on the network and when variable speed limits are in place. These will be positioned on gantries or in the verge on the left hand side of the road.
It is proposed that during the financial year 2014-15 the two section of the M1 near Wakefield and Sheffield will be upgraded to a ‘managed motorway’. The network is a strategic route between the north and south with serious congestion problems due to carrying around 110,000 vehicles per day with congestion expected to significantly increase in the coming years. It is believed that the benefits of the ‘managed motorway’ system will help to support economic development in the local region, in addition to journey time reliability. Additional benefits include significantly lower costs compared with conventional motorway widening schemes, which in turn has reduced environmental impact during construction.
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ICE Yorkshire & Humber Gala Dinner 15 March 2013 Harrogate
Council Elections - your vote counts! As the closing date for nominations to be elected to the ICE Council draws near, I thought it would be appropriate to remind you all of the importance of voting for your member of Council. This year there are several vacancies on Council to fill, as current members’ terms of office come to their three year end. My own three year term is due to finish in October this year, although I am standing for re-election. The Council of the Institution is a very important body. The Institution is a registered charity, so members of Council are in fact Trustees, and are thus responsible for the proper governance of your Institution. Decisions made by Council set the policies and procedures that are carried out by the Institution for its members for now and for the future. For 2013–14 there will be a total of 44 Council members, comprised of 15 General, 12 Regional, 5 International, and 3 graduate. In addition there is the President, the Immediate Past President, and 7 Vice Presidents. Directors from the ICE itself also attend. Council meetings are chaired by the President (currently Barry Clarke), assisted by the ICE’s Director General and Secretary Nick Baveystock.
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In October last year, Council held a two day Annual Strategy Meeting with the focus on determining the forward strategy of the Institution in 2013-14 and beyond. There has only been one Council meeting this Presidential year in December 2012, with discussion focusing on Budgets and Business Plans. A Summary Note of each Council Meeting is usually produced within 2-3 days of the meeting, and this is available for all ICE members to view on the ICE website. Any major impacts from Council are discussed at the following Regional Committee meeting. Voting Papers for this year’s election will be available to all members in the next few months, and it is important that you vote for your desired Council member, so that he or she may help to shape the Institution on your behalf. I understand that I am the only member of Council currently based in the Yorkshire & Humber region, so we need more representation! Your vote counts!
Richard Dew Regional Council Member 2010-13
Annual Awards Awards are made for Civil Engineering projects with a regional dimension in recognition of achievement, excellence or innovation in civil engineering. Nominated projects will normally be expected to have been completed or substantially completed not more than two years before the closing date for nominations.
Centenary Award The best project of excellence in concept, design and execution, and constructed within the region, was presented to the team from Mott MacDonald Bentley and Yorkshire Water for “New Manganese Contactors at Rivelin Water Treatment Works”. Rivelin Water Treatment Works has a treatment capacity of 75Ml/day and serves customers to the west of Sheffield. Increasing raw water colour resulted in the need to enhance the existing Sirofloc treatment process to reduce final Manganese levels and safeguard against the formation of trihalomethanes. The £7M project included the design, construction and commissioning of six manganese contactors, together with associated pipework, chemical dosing, monitoring and a 600m3 treated water holding tank. The successful delivery of this high quality scheme, safely, on time and on budget is a testament to the team spirit achieved throughout its design and delivery.
The Judges’ Comments The team demonstrated the use of the rapidly changing Building Information Modelling (BIM) to a high degree for collaborative design and construction efficiency on this scheme. The use of BIM in producing model based drawings with automatic clash detection for building elements, and for use in HAZOPS virtual tours, was praised by the judges as was the exemplary safety record. The decision to compress the building footprint, the use of precast elements, and the effective design led to considerable cost savings. The team instigated a 3D digital cloud point survey of the existing pipework and ducting network, this allowed them to thread a new 1m diameter pipe through the existing structure and reuse a great deal of the existing network. The team were able to use this 3D model to fabricate the pipework and aid installation, there were no TQ’s or amendments made on site. Significant financial savings were made upon the original scheme concept through working with the planners to substitute timber cladding in place of stone. They also utilised precast concrete retaining walls, variable drive pumps to negate the need for a new HV connection and a new form of dual contained dosing pipework.
Above: Installation of contactor precast panels. Left: Mott MacDonald Bentley and Yorkshire Water Services collect their certificates and plaque.
Programme was key to both manage the interface between disciplines and the outage times agreed with Yorkshire Water. The whole team committed to the use of collaborative planning and doing what they said they would do at the weekly planning meetings. This approach led to the scheme finishing on time.
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Awards Certificate of Excellence
Centenary Certificate of Excellence:
A1 Dishforth to Leeming Project (A1D2L) The A1 is a strategically important north-south route on the eastern side of England. It plays a key role in linking other strategic routes such as the A66, which is the main Trans-Pennine route between the A1 and M6. The current A1 carries in the region of 45,000-54,000 vehicles per day with approximately a quarter being heavy goods vehicles. The existing A1 failed to meet present day standards for layout and alignment, a number of substandard accesses, central reserve crossings and local road junctions. The works aimed at improving a poor safety record and providing extra road capacity for future growth. The Judges’ Comments
Carillion Morgan Sindall Joint Venture Highways Agency
This was a large scale project on a busy trunk road and the judges were very impressed by the safety record and culture that was demonstrated. The team rose to the challenge of the logistics associated with construction while keeping the traffic flowing over the 22km long site. They also had to deal with difficult ground conditions and sensitively accommodate the archaeology along the site of the original Roman road. The team’s approach to sustainability, innovation and sharing best practice across the industry sector was also praised.
Centenary Certificate of Excellence:
Bradford Living Street Connect 2 Project – Element 2 Bridge at Manchester Road A replacement bridge identified as a crucial element of Bradford’s Living Street, a collaborative project between the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, Sustrans (the sustainable transport charity), and Trident (a local company delivering Community projects). The Living Street provides a safe, new and attractive route clear of traffic domination which connects communities on either side of a busy principal road and forms part of the National Cycle Network. The walking and cycling bridge has multi-span continuous steel beams supporting a steel deck with steel and reinforced concrete columns. The project was designed and managed by the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council within a constrained budget and tight timescales. The Judges’ Comments This landmark structure has made its mark in the community and not only because of its vibrant colour. The judges were impressed with the quality of design and sustainable approach. The overwhelming local community involvement and support shows how effective this bridge is in connecting communities safely.
City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council Sustrans Trident Eric Wright Civil Engineering Briton Fabricators Ltd
Centenary Certificate of Excellence:
Esk Valley Bridge Replacements BAM Nuttall and Aecom were commissioned by Network Rail to deliver the Esk Valley Project, which entailed the replacement of four severely corroded underbridges during a 14 day blockade of the single line Middlesbrough to Whitby Railway. Disruption had to be kept to a minimum as the line is heavily used by schoolchildren and tourists. Crossing the River Esk, and within the North York Moors National Park, the existing 1880s bridges were extremely difficult to access. Overcoming this, plus significant environmental and engineering constraints, the team successfully reconstructed the bridges allowing the line to re-open at full line speed. The Judges’ Comments BAM Nuttall Ltd Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd Aecom
A well planned and executed scheme which scored highly across the range of criteria. The logistical challenges in this remote location were met using precast elements working within the constraints of the available rail based crane. The buildability of the solution was paramount in meeting the short project timescales, and in coping with the site conditions.
Centenary Certificate of Excellence:
New Manganese Contactors at Rivelin Water Treatment Works - see Winner (previous page).
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Awards Commended
Centenary Commended:
Acomb Landing Water Treatment Works Acomb Landing, just northwest of York city centre, is the oldest water treatment works in Yorkshire Water’s portfolio. It has been in continuous operation since its construction in 1846, and is now one of two works that provide all of York’s drinking water. Piecemeal development of the site had resulted in an inefficient process nearing the end of its life. The existing works have been replaced with a DAF based process, increasing the capacity of the works from 23 Ml/day to 36 Ml/ day. In addition fish screens are being installed on a new intake to comply with the Habitats Directive. The Judges’ Comments A well thought out project fitting new water treatment facilities within an operating site. The judges were impressed with the multi-disciplinary design approach and in particular the re-use of existing assets for new uses. The innovative use of plasma technology in ozone generation and passive intake screens to protect the river fish were also examples of the team’s overall noteworthy approach to this project.
ETM Yorkshire Water Services Limited Arup
Centenary Commended:
Calder Vale Waste Water Treatment Works Calder Vale Waste Water Treatment Works serves the Wakefield area, with a population projected to increase to roughly 110,000 against a background of fairly stable industrial activity. The work has been upgraded to meet a new consent of 3mg/l ammonia to meet the requirements of the Freshwater Fisheries Directive. In parallel with this obligation, Yorkshire Water has developed a sludge strategy which has identified an opportunity for refurbishing and expanding renewable energy production at this regional facility. The Judges’ Comments This collaborative scheme shows how effective team work can successfully integrate refurbished and new assets into an existing operating waste water treatment works. The inlet channel design, using physical and computer modelling, demonstrated the sharing of best practice and maximisation of savings. This has become the basis for standard designs. The judges were also impressed by the use of a prefabricated building system to speed construction.
ETM Yorkshire Water Services Limited Arup
Centenary Commended:
Headlands Lane Footbridge Refurbishment Project Headlands Lane Footbridges W2014 (West) and W2015 (East), carry one footpath each, over six rail tracks. The bridge is situated east of the A1 and M62, just off Pontefract Road, to the east of Knottingley Railway Station. A road bridge also crosses the tracks between the two footbridges, carrying Headlands Lane. The works comprised of full refurbishment of the East Bridge (grit blast/steelwork remediation and painting). Once the works were complete the West Bridge was to be demolished.
The Judges’ Comments This project demonstrated an innovative solution for the removal of the bridge for refurbishment. The work resulted in minimal disruption to the railway over which it spans and to the traffic on the adjacent road bridge.
Joshua Thomas & Partners Ltd Wakefield Metropolitan District Council Network Rail
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Awards Commended
Centenary Commended:
Linton Falls Hydroelectric Power Station JN Bentley has delivered its own hydroelectricity project on the River Wharfe, within the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The project has seen the sympathetic restoration of the old turbine house, originally built in 1909 and protected as a Scheduled Monument by English Heritage – and the installation of two new Archimedean screws capable of generating 500,000 kWh per annum. The project has also contributed positively to the local community, with regular public open days taking place and dedicated school open days providing local children with the opportunity to learn about the project, local history/environment and the technology. The Judges’ Comments The judges praised the sympathetic re-use of an existing historic turbine building in the Yorkshire Dales National Park for an exciting modern hydropower scheme. Scoring highly on sustainability and care for the environment, the project also addressed the challenges presented in working in the River Wharfe. We were impressed with the community involvement including education opportunities for school parties.
JN Bentley Limited
Centenary Commended:
Pasture Terrace Flood Relief Scheme During June 2007 homes in Willow Grove and Pasture Terrace, Beverley, were engulfed by metre-high flood water. Damage to individual properties of up to £100,000 was recorded and in some instances residents had to vacate their homes for over 18 months whilst repair work was undertaken. The solution combined a new flood wall (East Riding of Yorkshire Council) with increased sewer network storage (Yorkshire Water Services Limited). This dual approach gave many advantages over a larger sewer system upsize, ensuring the project met client and community needs through an innovative, sustainable and environmentally sensitive solution. The Judges’ Comments This project demonstrated a high degree of collaboration between the various stakeholders and resulted in an efficient solution to the common problem of flooding benefiting the community greatly. The judges were impressed with the innovative elements of the project and with the evident praise from the community.
Mott MacDonald Bentley Limited Yorkshire Water Services Limited East Riding of Yorkshire Council
Smeaton Commended:
Project Shackleton, Falkland Islands Runway Maintenance Project Shackleton entailed rehabilitation works of the airfield pavements and Aeronautical Ground Lighting at RAF Mount Pleasant, Falkland Islands. The Base is the most recent purpose-built airfield in the RAF, and along with its military role RAF Mount Pleasant also acts as the Falkland Islands’ only international airport. The principal constraint of the project was that the airfield would remain active throughout the duration of the works. The works were designed, programmed and executed to meet the constraints associated with a project situated in a remote location and were completed with no impact to military or commercial operations. The Judges’ Comments The challenges faced in operating in a remote location with long supply chains and adverse weather conditions were commendably overcome in this scheme with the pavement design contributing to its success. The sourcing of local aggregates minimised importation, and re-use of concrete planings contributed to the scheme’s sustainability. Throughout the works the team met the core aim of keeping the airfield open at all times for military use, and the runways safe for operation while making them fit for future use.
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Mott MacDonald Limited Joint Forces Command, Ministry of Defence Colas Limited