Civil engineering has a long and noble past
Civil engineering has a very long and noble past. Civil engineers have been around since ancient times and if you look back over history there have been some remarkable achievements such as the Egyptian pyramids, Machu Pichu and the Roman road building program which spanned the Roman Empire. Modern civil engineering feats include skyscrapers, suspension bridges, motorways and canal systems. Without civil engineers everything we know and are familiar with would disintegrate.
Every £1 billion increase in infrastructure investment sees a corresponding £1.3 billion rises in UK-wide GDP, and every £1 billion of infrastructure construction increases overall economic activity by £2.842 billion.
Alasdair Reisner, CECA director of external affairs, said: "If we are talking about a global race, we are giving our competitors a ten yard head start and that can't be sensible for our economy."
The recent closure of the Hammersmith flyer and the Hatfield colliery landslip, which has forced the closure of a key rail link until July, were cited as examples of what happens when our infrastructure crumbles.
CECA laid out a number of recommendations for the government to improve UK infrastructure investment moving forward, including that it never again falls below 0.8% of GDP and that it should be increased to above one per cent over the next five years to help close the gap.
Other recommendations included making it easier to finance infrastructure projects and providing a clear commitment to a long-term energy policy. Click here to continue
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