AECOM and University of Salford announce research partnership

Global infrastructure services firm AECOM and the UK’s University of Salford have launched a research partnership with the aim of improving understanding of how major infrastructure programmes interact with the natural environment. A statement from AECOM said that the two organisations will jointly fund environmental research on topics directly applicable to major infrastructure projects. “Research areas will be chosen to provide benefits to particular schemes and to help reduce adverse impacts and im
August 17, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Mersey Gateway Project, one of the UK’s largest infrastructure projects.
Global infrastructure services firm 1397 AECOM and the UK’s University of Salford have launched a research partnership with the aim of improving understanding of how major infrastructure programmes interact with the natural environment.

A statement from AECOM said that the two organisations will jointly fund environmental research on topics directly applicable to major infrastructure projects.

“Research areas will be chosen to provide benefits to particular schemes and to help reduce adverse impacts and improve outcomes for the natural environment on future projects.”
 
Under the partnership, AECOM and the university will co-fund research that could lead to PhD studies and scientific papers. Research areas could include exploring potential issues for wildlife when working in areas with contaminated sediments. Other research areas include predicting disturbance to sensitive species from construction activities and investigating perceptions of biodiversity within construction.

The partnership evolved from the environmental consultancy work AECOM is delivering for the 6126 Mersey Gateway Project, one of the UK’s largest infrastructure projects. The project includes a new six-lane toll bridge over the River Mersey and part of AECOM’s work has focused on the complex and sensitive estuarine environment.

The work is part of AECOM’s design joint venture with UK consultant Flint & Neill to deliver detailed design consultancy services to the Merseylink consortium, which was awarded a contract to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the scheme for Halton Borough Council.
 
AECOM had revenue of around US$18 billion during fiscal year 2015.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • AECOM’s Masterplan for Romania
    April 20, 2012
    AECOM’s UK transport team has been selected to develop a masterplan for the Romanian national transport system. An assessment of the short, medium and long-term outlook for the country’s transport system will form part of the masterplan. It will also contain sustainability-conscious infrastructure and policy recommendations for all transport modes, including road, rail, air, Constanta Port and navigation of the Danube River.
    Read More
  • Bluesky Aerial Mapping sees the trees and not the forest
    February 6, 2017
    Scientists at the University of Lancaster in England are using 3D data produced by Bluesky to refine a tree failure-risk model Pinpointing trees that might collapse onto roads and other infrastructure currently uses complex wind analysis techniques to assign a level of risk to individual trees. The data is Bluesky’s UK National Tree Map, laser mapped 3D height models, colour infrared (CIR) data and soil data. It will help identify individual trees and their proximity to roads as well as electricity insta
    Read More
  • A pothole damage breakthrough?
    April 11, 2013
    Academic research by two universities in the same UK city shows that patch repairs on potholes could be far more durable if a few simple techniques were consistently used. Guy Woodford reports. Repairing pothole damage to highways and vehicles across Europe costs responsible authorities and individual motorists hundreds of millions of euros each year. Yet it has cost just €20,204 to make the potentially crucial first step in identifying a method of keeping highways across the continent and beyond pothole fr
    Read More
  • Europe closes in on the crossings
    September 27, 2017
    The Mersey Gateway bridge project off England’s west coast passed a milestone recently with the first joining of two of the deck sections. The key segments, as the sections are called, link the north approach viaduct to the north pylon deck span and are the first of four deck-joins scheduled for this summer. In total, there are five sections of bridge deck and approach roads that need to be joined.
    Read More

Highlighted Content