South Devon Highway wins major industry award

The South Devon Link Road project has won two awards at a major regional industry award ceremony, held on Friday 8 July.

The project was presented with the ‘South West Project over £1 million’ award and the ‘People’s Choice award’ at the Institution of Civil Engineering (ICE) South West annual awards.

Devon County Council collected the award on behalf of the project team, which also comprised Torbay Council, WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff, construction company Galliford Try and their designer Ramboll.

The ICE South West Civil Engineering Awards celebrate outstanding civil engineering achievement, innovation and ingenuity around the region. This year ICE received a record breaking number of entries into the awards, with 15 projects being shortlisted.

The ICE is one of the world’s leading civil engineering institutions, representing 91,000 members in the UK and across the globe.

Now known as the South Devon Highway, the project has received a number of awards, including a gold Considerate Constructors award, an Institute of Highway Engineers (IHE) award, a regional Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) South West award and a gold Green Apple award for its environmental activities.

Councillor Andrew Leadbetter, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Economy and Growth, said: “The ICE awards are prestigious and highly respected within the industry, so we are very proud of this achievement.  We are particularly proud that the South Devon Highway was the winner in the ‘People’s Choice’ category. This project has always been about more than just building a road – it has been about joining communities and winning his award shows that local people recognise that fact.”

Councillor Derek Mills, Deputy Mayor of Torbay, said: “This is fantastic news for the project. Winning an ICE award is a real accolade and we are pleased our success is being formally recognised. I’d particularly like to thank the public for voting for the project in the People’s Choice category.”

Chris Hastings, Project Director at Galliford Try, said: “Building the South Devon Highway was a challenging project, requiring innovation and a partnership approach. Winning this ICE regional award is recognition of not just how the project met and exceeded industry standards, but also proves its popularity within the local community.”

The 5.5km dual carriageway provides the long awaited bypass for Kingskerswell and was officially opened by Roads Minister Andrew Jones in February.