British tunnelling provides an essential contribution to the industry world-wide, it therefore follows that major achievements should be recognised, both nationally and internationally in the form of an awards ceremony. On 10th May the British Tunnelling Society held its 14th annual dinner, the evening also marked the first Tunnelling Industry Awards. Jointly organised by the BTS and T&T International and sponsored by Master Builders Technologies UCG, guests were welcomed by BTS Chairman, Peter South. South’s address covered the various activities of the Society over the last year, in particular the work that had continued on the formation of the Parliamentary Underground Space Working Group and the forthcoming event, organised by the Society’s committee in combination with insurance companies, to discuss a future Code of Practice in risk management.

He went on to describe the process of selecting the nominations for each award. Last year a select awards committee was formed, with the goal of choosing six categories and deciding nine nominations for each. Over a period of months the judges researched the nominations and gradually reduced them down to three finalists for each category:

Safety Award

  • Rail Link Engineering – Research into fire protection in tunnels on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link

  • Cementation Skanska – Advances in Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome reporting on the Harrods Tunnel

  • Osborne Alliance – New fire resistant ladding panels “Ceramicsteel”

    Machinery/Materials Award

  • MBT UCG – Shotcreting Product Systems on the North Downs Tunnel

  • Tunnelling Accessories Ltd – Dowelock Dowels

  • VMT – Laser Inferometer Systems for checking segment tolerances

    Excellence in Tunnel Design

  • Babtie, Haliburton KBR and Halcrow – Ramsgate Harbour Approach Road

  • Haswell Consulting Engineers – Shaft WA2, Dublin Port Access Tunnel

  • Faber Maunsell – Great Yarmouth Power Tunnels

    Achievement through Innovation

  • Morgan Tunnelling, Rail Link Engineering – North Downs Tunnel

  • Skanska Construction UK – Dartford Tunnel Refurbishment

  • Rail Link Engineering (RLE), Skanska Construction UK – Contract 430, Ashford Tunnels

    Small Project Award

  • Barhale Construction – West Thurrock Trunk Sewer

  • AMCO – Standedge Canal Tunnel Refurbishment

  • Amec Specialist Business – Taff’s Well Project

    Large Project Award

  • Amec Specialist Business – Project Orwell

  • Byzak – Ayr Harbour Tunnel

  • Eurolink JV (Morgan Tunnelling, Vinci, Beton und Monierbau), RLE – North Downs Tunnel

    South then welcomed author, Frances Edmonds, who introduced the 2002 Tunnelling Industry Awards nominees and presented the winners.