Two Scottish projects have been shortlisted for the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) People's Choice Award.

The award celebrates the civil engineering projects that have had a positive impact for their local communities. 

The Forth Replacement Crossing with the iconic Queensferry Crossing as its centrepiece and the Shieldhall Tunnel sewer superstructure in Glasgow are competing against other world projects.

Other nominees include Hong Kong harbour, Hyderabad Metro Rail project in India, and the rural access programme in Nepal.

The Forth Replacement Crossing safeguards a vital connection in Scotland's transport network and includes the longest three tower, cable-stayed bridge in the world boasting the tallest towers of any bridge in the UK. New wind shields mean that the new bridge is less likely to close during high winds.

The 3.1-mile-long Shieldhall Tunnel under the south of Glasgow is improving water quality in the River Clyde and reducing flooding at key locations on the city's southside. Five times longer than the Clyde Tunnel, the tunnel was constructed using a tunnel boring machine and represents the biggest upgrade of the city's waste water network in more than a century.


Douglas Millican, Scottish Water's Chief Executive, said: "We are delighted that the Shieldhall Tunnel, which is the flagship project in our investment in the Greater Glasgow area's waste water infrastructure, has been named among the finalists for these prestigious awards.

"The tunnel, which is improving river water quality, tackling flooding and will enable growth, is the result of years of collaboration, research, investigative work and state-of-the-art engineering by people from a number of organisations. Reaching the final stage of these awards is a tribute to everyone involved in the project."

Roy Brannen, Chief Executive of Transport Scotland, said: "The process of creating this huge project has been a full 10 years in the making. The new bridge is already delivering on its objective of providing a more reliable crossing over the Forth for the 78,000 vehicles that use it each day.

"The sheer scale of this project is impressive with the watertight chamber, which enabled the building of the south tower foundation the same height as the Statue of Liberty.

"The 15,000 people involved in building the Queensferry Crossing worked over 15 million hours achieving two engineering world records in the process. We hope the Scottish public will recognise their hard work, dedication and world class expertise by voting for them."

Sara Thiam, ICE Regional Director, added: "Civil engineering directly transforms people's everyday lives, shaping the world and safeguarding our future. The fact that two Scottish projects have been included in a global shortlist demonstrates our continued reputation for engineering excellence. Our civil engineers are amongst the best in the world in delivering the infrastructure on which we depend. I encourage Scots to cast their vote for their favourite to be recognised as one of the finest examples of civil engineering in the world."

Voting opened at www.ice.org.uk/Peopleschoiceaward on 10 September at 09:00 and will close on 28 September at 17:00. The winning project will be revealed on 06 November.

(CM/LM)