A £5.8m project to create Bristol’s first new railway station for 96 years has been honoured with a prestigious civil engineering award. The work on Portway Park & Ride was honoured as the city picked up four gongs at the South West Civil Engineering Awards.
The train station was named winner of the Collaboration Award in recognition of the partnership which led to its creation, with Bristol City Council working with the West of England Combined Mayoral Authority, Network Rail, Great Western Railway and the Department for Transport. The station opened last year as the first phase of the MetroWest project.
And the £100m Avonmouth Severnside Enterprise Area (ASEA) Ecology Mitigation and Flood Defence Project took home three awards – the Showcase Award, the Resilience Award, and the People’s Choice Award. The project will see 17km of flood defences built along the Severn Estuary.
Councillor Ed Plowden, chair of the transport and connectivity Committee at Bristol City Council, said: “It’s great to see the hard work that went into the creation of the Portway Park & Ride, Bristol’s first train station to be opened in nearly 100 years, being recognised by the ICE judges. Since opening last year, the station has quickly become a key alternative for commuters looking to travel in and out of Bristol and has helped to better connect residents throughout the north of the city and beyond.
“The good news doesn’t stop there, with the opening of a second new station at Ashley Down this autumn, we are working in partnership to take bold steps towards a shared vision of providing easily accessible sustainable transport for all. And, with more stations planned, I am looking forward to seeing more exciting regional travel projects recognised in the future.”
Councillor Andrew Brown, chair of the economy and skills committee, said: “I am exceptionally proud that our Ecology Mitigation and Flood Defence Project has been awarded not one, but three accolades at this year’s ICE Awards. It’s brilliant to see a project, so grand in its scale and vision, be recognised both by a panel of experts and the general public as being genuinely good for the West of England.
“The work we’re doing here will not only protect our coastline from the looming threat of rising sea levels but will also play a key role in unlocking the vast economic potential of the region, as well as making ample space for nature to thrive.
“Winning these prestigious awards stands as a testament to the transformative work we’re carrying out and I very much look forward seeing what’s next for this amazing project.”
Find out more about this year’s winners here.