28 June 2011
The M4 Junction 11 and Mereoak Improvement Scheme has been named
Overall Winner at the ICE Thames Valley Engineering Excellence
Awards 2011, the highest honour for engineering projects within the
region.
Capita Symonds provided landscape design and
consultancy services on the £65m project on behalf of client
Reading Borough Council.
Granted planning in 2002, the works at
Junction 11 are unique in being the first to be undertaken by a
local planning authority rather than the highways agency. An
exemplar project, the landscape masterplan reflects best practice
in ecology and drainage, whilst having a strong emphasis on design
with the aim of promoting the junction as a key gateway into
Reading.
Since its opening in the summer of 2010, the
project has made a real difference - rush hour delays have been
virtually eliminated through a major reconstruction of the junction
and the associated road network.
Howard Larkin, chair of the judging panel,
said: “The improvements made to M4 Junction 11 have transformed
this vital road network. The visually striking pedestrian bridges
make a positive statement at the gateway to Reading and we commend
the use of intelligent traffic management which minimised delays
during works.”