Kaikoura rebuild wins award
‘‘More than just a reopening.’’
The road and rail rebuild along the Kaiko¯ ura coast has taken out civil engineering’s ‘‘prize of prizes’’.
The ‘‘project of a lifetime’’, which took 2 million work hours to complete, was crowned winner of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) 2018 People’s Choice Award in London last night [United Kingdom time].
The $1.1 billion project was the only southern hemisphere finalist in the contest, and trumped major projects from Hong Kong, the UK, India and Nepal.
ICE director of membership Sean Harris, who headed the competition, said the Kaiko¯ ura earthquake recovery project was a ‘‘worthy winner’’.
‘‘I am pleased to see the public recognise how the project directly transformed people’s quality of life,’’ Harris said.
‘‘The project stands out globally as not only one of the finest examples of outstanding technical achievement but also highlights the importance of civil engineering in enabling social and economic progress.’’
The annual People’s Choice Award contest recognises civil engineering projects that make a positive impact on their local communities, with the final winner decided by votes from the global public.
Previously only open to projects in the UK, this year’s contest included international projects for the first time to mark ICE’s 50th anniversary.
About 70,000 people voted around the world for their favourite civil engineering project, with the Kaiko¯ ura earthquake rebuild triumphing over its competitors by a total of 8 per cent.
KiwiRail acting chief executive Todd Moyle said the organisation was ‘‘very thankful’’ for everyone who voted for the project.
‘‘This is well deserved recognition of the hard work, dedication and determination of the thousands of people who so quickly rebuilt the rail line and roads, reconnecting communities and restoring critical New Zealand freight networks,’’ Moyle said.