What have civil engineers ever done for us?

Ahead of the Institution of Civil Engineers’ 200th birthday in 2018, TheBusinessdesk.com meets some of the North West engineers behind Britain’s infrastructure, including Gareth Scott

The invisible Superheroes?

“I think most of society is blissfully ignorant of what civil engineers do for us. Maybe that is the best complement civil engineers can receive.

Society is generally ignorant that a civil engineering army worked through the night while they were asleep at home. A home, made comfortable by having energy, water and sewers. These things that can be too easily taken for granted in a modern society.

These things exist and work for us because of civil engineers. Our journey to work is likely to be on the infrastructure built and maintained by civil engineers. The simple fact is that most of us, most days do not appreciate those things that are around us.

The result of civil engineering tends to be something that just works in the background.

Most people do not need the work of a doctor every day. Most people do not need the work of a lawyer every day. Most people do not need the work of a teacher every day.

Nevertheless, doctors, lawyers, teachers all need the work of civil engineers, every day. What have civil engineers done for us?

Well, imagine if we did not have all those things we take for granted. What if we had no energy, no water, no sewers, no roads and no railway, we would have no schools, hospitals or court rooms. Civil engineers build and maintain the world we live in.

They work in the background making our everyday routine reliable, punctual, uninteresting and just normal.

Gareth Scott, 38, lives in Carlisle, Cumbria with his wife, Amanda, and their six-year-old son, Mason.

Not being the biggest fan of school, Gareth opted to leave school at 16 after his GCSE’s and started an apprenticeship in mechanical engineering, following his father, grandfather and great grandfather into engineering.

On completion of the apprenticeship, he had completed a HNC and was offered a job with a local civil engineering survey firm where he first developed an interest in civil engineering.

After a few years he moved and took a role within highways and completed a BSc in civil engineering.

In 2014, he successfully sat his incorporated review and received the ICE Tony Chapman Medal.

In 2015 he stepped down from being chairman of the ICE Cumbria branch to take become the chairman of the ICE Northwest.

He currently works for Cumbria County Council as the highway network manager for the Carlisle area, an area that is 1,039 square kilometres.

Fun fact: Carlisle is the largest city in England, by geographical area (although most is not urbanised).

In December, 2015 Storm Desmond wreaked havoc across Cumbria, a record 405mm of rainfall fell in only 48 hours, the average annual rainfall is about 800mm.

The impact of half a year’s worth of rain failing in two days was significant. The flooding damaged over 600 bridges and more than 2,500 km of carriageways.

Iconic structures such as Pooley Bridge were lost and some communities were completely isolated and separated.

Gareth said: “The first few days and weeks after the event we were just trying to understand what had happened and where. It was very much a triage. The scope of the work was growing every hour. Lists became longer and longer, the number of locations we were dealing with increased every day.

In January 2016 the County Council began an unprecedented programme of repair work estimated at £120m. Civil engineers from all over the country responded and supported the initial emergency response.

Gareth went on: “The civil engineering community rallied. The civil engineering world could see beyond the news the impact the storm had and the impact on our local infrastructure.

“Offers of support and assistance came ‘flooding’ in. Local engineering firms, national groups, consultants and international/overseas support all really appreciated.

“I don’t think much was published on that side of things. Society often takes civil engineers for granted but that is not the case within the profession.

“There is a lot of mutual respect, banter and we genuinely look after each other.”

Once a network was in place Cumbria started to function again. Deliveries were made, visitors returned and people could return to work.

Unfortunately, there were hundreds of individual projects, at various stages, of differing value and spread over a wide geographical area.

The A591 is major strategic route though Cumbria. During Storm Desmond three miles of carriageway were lost.

Due to the topography the diversion route was 60 miles long. The repairs involved the creation of a new 100m long retaining wall, works to several bridges, walls and drains and the resurfacing of the three-mile closure.

According to the South Lakes MP, Tim Farron, the loss of the A591 to the Cumbrian economy was £1m per day.

Gareth said: “During the first 12 months, we gave priority to projects that would stich the network and the community back together.

“This initial phase created either a temporary or a semi-permanent functionality. This was just the tip of the ice berg.

“The A591 project was rapidly, designed, procured and built but it is just one project. The work is still ongoing we have a number of temporary structures and temporary works. There is still more to be done than has been done.”

The county council framework contractors (a combination of national and local contractors) are under significant pressure to deliver the ambitious programme that will take two years to complete.

Gareth added: “What have Civil Engineers done? Probably more than society appreciates and defintiely more than society will ever understand.”

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