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World Highways contributor Max Lay wins Peter Nicol Russell award

The Institution of Engineers Australia has awarded World Highways contributor Dr Maxwell Lay the prestigious Peter Nicol Russell medal for his contribution to science and engineering. According to the citation, the medal is the most prestigious award made by the institution. “The recipient represents the technical, professional and community service standards of engineering to the profession and the community.” May received degrees at Melbourne University and the US university Lehigh in Pennsylvania.
December 9, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
The Institution of Engineers Australia has awarded 3260 World Highways contributor %$Linker: 2 Internal <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 2 1845 0 oLinkExternal Dr Maxwell Lay Visit &quot;Road user charging the way to highway investment&quot; page false /categories/traffic-focus-highway-management/features/road-user-charging-the-way-to-highway-investment/ false false%> the prestigious Peter Nicol Russell medal for his contribution to science and engineering.

According to the citation, the medal is the most prestigious award made by the institution. “The recipient represents the technical, professional and community service standards of engineering to the profession and the community.”  

May received degrees at Melbourne University and the US university Lehigh in Pennsylvania. He was appointed executive director of the Australian Road Research Board in 1975. After 13 years he moved to 5155 VicRoads, the Victoria state organisation for planning, developing and managing arterial roads. Among his responsibilities at VicRoads was the Eastern Freeway and Western Ring Road. He later joined consulting engineering firm SKM in Melbourne.

Lay was a founding director of toll road company ConnectEast that is responsible for the finance, design, construction and operation of Melbourne's 39km EastLink tollway project. In late 2011, the company was sold to Horizon Roads for around US$1.83 billion (AUS$2.2 billion).

He also is an advisor to the non-political industry association Roads Australia, a professorial fellow at Melbourne University and was president of the Australian Automobile Association from 2000-2002.

Sir Peter Nicol Russell was a Sydney industrialist during the last half of the 19th century.

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