Northern Powerhouse Plans Reveal Major Construction Projects

The government has announced its intentions for a number of major construction projects that will involve expert civil engineering consultants, as part of its Northern Powerhouse initiative.

Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne published the Budget for 2016 earlier this month (March 16), which showed the government’s long-term plan to build and strengthen cities in the north.

It intends to invest heavily in this region, improving transport connections, housing, education and businesses in the area.

The first investment will be the construction of the A6 to Manchester Airport relief road at an expense of £230 million, while the M6 J16-19 between Crewe and Knutsford will be upgraded, costing £220 million.

These projects, along with the construction of the Liverpool2 deep water terminal at Seaforth for £300 million, are set to begin this year.

However, the Budget also revealed intentions for the New Polar Research Vessel at Birkenhead, a new National Centre for Ageing Science and Innovation in Newcastle, flood defence schemes in York, upgrades to the TransPenine tunnels, the completion of the Tees Renewable Energy Plant, and many improvements to key motorway links by 2020.

The north has been hitting the headlines for its steady improvement over the last few years, and Blackpool is the latest city to be congratulated for its engineering ingenuity.

Earlier this month, the Blackpool Tower won the North West Civil Engineering Heritage Award by the Institution of Civil Engineers for being the “most instantly recognisable work of civil engineering in the country”, the BBC reported.