LOVELY weather for a trip to the Queensferry Crossing to get the latest on how the UK’s tallest bridge structure is progressing. Very well, according to all concerned, namely Infrastructure Secretary Keith Brown, Transport Scotland project director David Climie and consortium FCBC project director Michael Martin.
Also a pleasure to meet some of the bright guys, like Alastair Black, 32, and Chris Hunt, 22, who have the good fortune to be launching their careers on this mega-project, and who gave an insight into the sheer variety of challenges and rewards involved for the construction team.
Brown also revealed that Scots firms have won £246 million out of the £549m of contracts (45 per cent), which is considerably more direct value to the Scottish economy than some expected. With only a year in which to erect the entire bridge deck after a lost summer due to poor weather, there is no doubt the delay in setting the foundations, first reported in these pages, has eaten up a lot of contingency time and FCBC is up against it, but Brown is “pleased to report that the project remains on schedule to be complete by the end of 2016.”
INFORMATICS Ventures, the tech entrepreneur support network in partnership with EIT Digital, UCL Advances, and UCL Business plc is looking for 12 companies with high growth potential in ICT to take part in EIE London this November. More than £100 million in funding has already been raised by companies which have showcased at previous EIEs so it’s not something to be missed.
Interested, contact Dr Steve Ewing to talk him through your proposition on 07886 354049. Applications close on August 31.
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