Bridge engineers in England have come a long way but need to improve their data and communication if they are to make the case for more funding.
This was the message of the Department for Transport’s head of maintenance, Ian Holmes, to Surveyor’s Bridges 2006 conference this week. Referring to councils’ work on asset management and highway valuations, Holmes told engineers: ‘We have been rolling the bullets. You need to start firing them. In future, clarify targets for service delivery, gather the data and present it to the professionals, get the money by doing that, and deliver the bridges.’
He said existing data was confusing, especially when it came to major works. ‘How can we prove value for money without data produced to transparent and agreed objectives?’ Holmes pointed out that ‘for carriageway, footway and streetlighting, we know a lot more. Bridges need to catch up’.
Holmes – who retires this summer – hoped the time would come when the days of ‘boom and bust’ investment in bridges were in the past, by providing decision-makers with firm evidence translated into their own language of finance and service levels. Holmes had been a ‘breath of fresh air at central government’ and ‘not just a civil servant, but an engineer,’ said ~Richard Fish~ UK bridges board chair and Cornwall director, chairing the conference session.
ordering clarithromycin
buying clarithromycin
discount biaxin cheapest biaxin
Register now for full access
Register just once to get unrestricted, real-time coverage of the issues and challenges facing UK transport and highways engineers.
Full website content includes the latest news, exclusive commentary from leading industry figures and detailed topical analysis of the highways, transportation, environment and place-shaping sectors.
Use the link below to register your details for full, free access.
Already a registered? Login
