Civil engineering consultants in Wales are calling for politicians to make infrastructure a top priority in order to ensure that the country helps drive long-term prosperity, job creation and economic growth.
Keith Jones, director of the Institution of Civil Engineers Wales Cymru, said that Wales needs a vision for infrastructure that looks 25 years into the future, with the next generation of engineers invested in so as to achieve the infrastructure that the country is dependent upon.
“We are at a cross roads – the next steps in the development of the Wales Infrastructure Investment Plan are crucial to the delivery of effective, resilient infrastructure, and our transition to a low carbon economy,” he remarked.
Recommendations from the organisation include developing a safe and affordable transport system, ensuring sufficient supply of electricity, producing innovative low carbon methods of transferring water over river catchments, developing a maintenance programme to combat flood risk and developing a Welsh skills strategy to help ensure infrastructure delivery.
This follows the announcement that the Welsh government would be investing £120 million into infrastructure projects in the country over the next 12 months, a move that will hopefully create up to 2,000 jobs.
In all, £50 million has been set aside for priority transport projects, £10 million for the 21st Century Schools and Education Programme, £10 million for the Wales Ambulance Service Trust to replace vehicles, £5 million for Green Growth Wales to provide energy efficiency grants, £3 million to help tackle fuel poverty and £10 million for the Intermediate Care Fund to focus on facilities for people with complex needs.