£25m bypass wins environmental award

A top national environmental engineering expert has visited Staffordshire to personally present an award for the £25 million Rugeley bypass to the county council.

Council leader John Taylor met Peter Fisher, a non-executive director for the national Civil Engineering Environmental Quality Assessment Awards Scheme.

Mr Fisher was so impressed by the environmental credentials of the award-winning bypass project that he made the trip to Stafford to tell the team behind the project how well they had done.

Rugeley Bypass gained an Excellent award from the scheme and this marks the eighth award for the bypass. The congestion busting road was opened with a massive community celebration and fanfare in September 2007.

Mr Fisher said: "I was bowled over by the quality of the scheme. We assess schemes every year and the Rugeley project really was at the top of the tree.

"The Staffordshire team, comprising the county engineers and their contractor Birse, really demonstrated a total commitment to quality and environmental awareness.

"From the start the road was about tackling town centre congestion, but every feature of the project involved minimising the impact. From using recycled ash from the local power station through to protecting badgers, crayfish, otters, bats and birds, the bypass project has delivered the goods."

Council leader John Taylor said the project was a touchstone of quality. "The Rugeley Bypass has won a phenomenal amount of praise locally and nationally.

"It represents a massive investment in the local economy and the environment. Staffordshire is a county with a growing national reputation for excellence.

"This project is about economic revitalisation and environmental sustainability in harmony. It's a perfect symbol for how we do business in Staffordshire," he said.