Essential news & information from newcivilengineer.com

The Edit

TUNNELS

Harper gives Stonehenge tunnel green light after lengthy redetermination process

Transport secretary Mark Harper granted the development consent order (DCO) for National Highways’ A303 Stonehenge tunnel (Amesbury to Berwick Down) scheme in July.

​The scheme is a new 12.8km dual carriageway which will replace a section of the A303. It will include a 3.3km tunnel that will go beneath part of the Stonehenge Unesco World Heritage Site.

Opponents have long protested about the plan fearing damage it could cause to the historic site and the additional pollution it will cause.

Harper’s predecessor Grant Shapps initially approved the project in November 2020, against Planning Inspectorate advice. The decision was overturned by a High Court judge who ruled that it was unlawful.

The DCO application was sent back to Shapps for “redetermination”. He then requested more carbon detail. This resulted in National Highways reworking the DCO application.

The Department for Transport’s letter confirming the DCO approval states: “In the transport secretary’s judgment any harm to heritage assets is less than substantial and this harm (while carrying great weight), along with the other harms identified, are outweighed by the benefits of the proposed development.”

The decision could face further legal challenges, but National Highways’ preferred bidder More JV, featuring FCC Construcción, WeBuild and BeMo Tunnelling, supported by a design consortium made up of Atkins, Jacobs and Sener, is expected to be awarded the work and construction could start next year.

RAIL

Mark Thurston stands down as High Speed 2 chief executive

High Speed 2 Ltd (HS2 Ltd) chief executive Mark Thurston is to step down at the end of September. He said he agreed with the HS2 Ltd board that someone else should lead the project as phase one construction work between London and Birmingham reaches its peak.

Thurston joined HS2 Ltd in March 2017, shortly after Royal Assent was granted to the Phase One enabling bill, which gave the powers to build the first section of the high speed railway. During his time, Thurston has overseen the organisation’s growth into an effective project manager for the delivery of Europe’s largest infrastructure project. HS2 Ltd chairman Sir Jon Thompson will become executive chairman for an interim period from October.

WATER

Thames Water boss quits as it demands more investment cash

Thames Water’s chief executive Sarah Bentley has resigned as the company seeks a £2.5bn cash injection from shareholders. They had already provided £500M this year and agreed to put in another £750M by March 2025.

The company said it was £14bn in debt and needed the extra money to spend on improving its “operational performance and financial resilience”.

Shareholders had agreed to invest the £750M figure to help fund its AMP7 investment programme which comes to a close on 31 March 2025. This was on condition that Thames Water prepare a business plan to deliver a more “focused turnaround” and improve its performance over the next three years.

In June 2022, shareholders had agreed to the £500M cash injection. The company’s pretax profits fell by 3% in its 2022/23 financial year, reflecting higher operating costs. Revenues increased 4% to £2.3bn.

STRUCTURES

Ryde station reopens

​​Winter storms and high tides have been blamed for delays to the Ryde Pier Head station restoration project on the Isle of Wight. The work will extend the structure’s life by 60 years.

Work on the 143-year-old structure began last October and it was originally expected to finish in the spring.

Passenger services only resumed in July and more work is needed to complete the restoration by replacing timber sleepers with composite ones.

ENERGY

Great British Nuclear launched with SMR reactor competition

The Department for Energy Security & Net Zero formally launched Great British Nuclear (GBN) in July. It is the government’s new delivery vehicle for all nuclear projects, including Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C.

The department said GBN will play a key role in helping the government hit its target to provide up to 25% of the UK’s electricity from homegrown nuclear energy by 2050.

GBN’s official launch coincided with the start of a competition for organisations to bid for funding to develop their nuclear power products, including small modular reactors (SMRs). Current SMR projects include Rolls-Royce’s proposals to build reactors in Oldbury and Berkeley in South West England. Balfour Beatty and Holtec Britain also propose to develop an SMR-160 pressurised light water reactor somewhere in the UK.

The government has also announced a £157M grant for nuclear projects.

RAIL

Vinci wins £2.32bn Grand Paris Express Line 15 West contract

A consortium known as Intencités15, which includes several Vinci Construction and Vinci Energies companies, has won the €2.71bn (£2.32bn) design and build contract for Line 15 West of the Grand Paris Express.

Société du Grand Paris’ overall €35.6bn (£28bn) Grand Paris Express project will add 200km of new metro line to the Paris public transport network. Line 15 is a 76km circular route connecting the southern and eastern suburbs with Saint-Denis in the north and the La Défense business district in the west. Work is split into three sections: east, south and west. The Line 15 West package involves construction of 14km of tunnels, five stations – SaintCloud, Rueil-Suresnes Mont-Valérien, Nanterre La Boule, Nanterre La Folie and La Défense – and track laying.

In addition 16 service buildings will be constructed. The line is expected to come into operation in 2031.

ROADS

A47  job set for retender after overcoming legal challenge

Three National Highways upgrade schemes on the A47 in Norfolk got the go-ahead in July after a judge upheld a decision to grant them development consent orders (DCOs).

Former transport secretary Grant Shapps granted DCOs for the £50M to £100M dualling of the A47 between Blofeld and North Burlingham in June 2022 and the £100M to £250M dualling of the North Tuddenham to Easton section last August. His successor, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, gave the green light to the £50M to £100M A47 Thickthorn Junction upgrade last October.

The legal challenge claimed that the impact of carbon emissions for each project had not been properly addressed was dismissed by Justice Thornton. Galliford Try had won all three schemes but will no longer construct the Thickthorn project. National Highways has confirmed the project will be retendered, citing “commercially sensitive” reasons.

• Sign up for New Civil Engineer’s Breaking, Daily and Weekly news alerts at newcivilengineer.com/newsletters