Alderney Breakwater on list with Eden Project and Channel Tunnel
ALDERNEY BREAKWATER has been picked by the Institute of Civil Engineers as one of 200 projects around the world which have transformed lives.
It is the only project in the Channel Islands to appear on the People and Projects list, which includes the Eden Project and Channel Tunnel.
The ICE has compiled the list to show how civil engineering have shaped the world ‘and transformed people’s lives for the better’.
The group celebrates its bicentenary this year and decided to support the UK government’s Year of Engineering by highlighting projects from around the world.
Alderney Breakwater was one of those nominated by ICE members and chosen by an expert panel. ‘The chosen projects illustrate the breadth and depth of civil engineering’s impact,’ they said.
The States’ head of project services, Graeme Falla, said it was an honour to have the breakwater recognised by ICE. ‘Everyone in Alderney knows the significance of the breakwater to life on the island,’ he said.
‘To see it, as the sole Channel Island project, sitting next to other recent iconic projects such as the Channel Tunnel and the Eden Project emphasises how significant a civil engineering achievement the breakwater is.’
Regional chair for ICE South West Richard Fish said that all the chosen projects show how civil engineering has paved the way to modern life and continues to tackle today’s problems.
‘Our research has shown that the majority of both adults and young people don’t know what a civil engineer does and most can’t identify a single UK civil engineering project,’ he said.
‘We aim to change these perceptions with 200 People and Projects, explaining not just the importance of civil engineering but how it has directly transformed people’s lives.
‘With the world facing unprecedented challenges, such as climate change and the pressures from a rapidly growing population, there has never been a greater need for civil engineers and the vital work they do.’
The ICE’s 200 chosen projects will be published throughout the year on its website’s ‘what is civil engineering?’ section.
n Alderney’s 1,430m-long breakwater was built by the engineer Thomas Jackson, who had previously built railways and canals.
The breakwater was completed by 1864 but the contract to repair breaches caused by stormy conditions in the Atlantic had to be extended.
In 1870, the government asked former ICE president Sir John Hawkshaw to report on the best way to secure the future of the breakwater, which had already undergone some major repair work.
He recommended reducing its length to 870m.
