Triple award success for Esh Construction at CECA North East ceremony

Esh Construction has been recognised at this year’s Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) North East Awards after scooping three prizes at the annual event which took place November 11th.

Flagship project, Phase 3 of the Sunderland Strategic Transport Corridor (SSTC3), added a third award to its collection after securing ‘Large Project of the Year.’ The £42.5 million project was delivered in partnership with Sunderland City Council and Capita Real estate and infrastructure, and is the largest scheme completed by Esh’s civil engineering division in company history.

The 2.4km dual carriageway links the Northern Spire bridge with the city centre, and the majority of the scheme was delivered in the midst of the COVID restrictions and lockdown periods. A wealth of economic and social value benefits were delivered throughout the project, including a £26m spend in the local area and 98% of the workforce were North East residents.

Sunderland City Council was named ‘Client of the Year’ at the event following Esh’s nomination which recognised outstanding collaborative and partnership working throughout the SSTC3 project – the second time the local authority has secured an award of this type, after both Esh and Turner & Townsend nominated the council for the same category at the Constructing Excellence North East Awards earlier this year.

Steven Garrigan, divisional director at Esh Construction, said: “These award wins are testament to the hard work and commitment of all those involved with the SSTC3 project, as well as those across the whole organisation as we make steps towards a more sustainable future.

“We are delighted to see Sunderland City Council receive the much-deserved Client of the Year Award, demonstrating partnership working at its best and a dedication between parties to go the extra mile, deliver an outstanding construction project along with a lasting legacy within the community.”

Cllr Kevin Johnston, Sunderland City Council’s Cabinet Member for Dynamic City, said: “Winning these awards is a massive achievement for everyone involved. SSTC3 has been an important project for Sunderland and a key infrastructure investment for the council, part funded by DfT, that provides access to Sunderland City Centre for our communities and aids community wealth.

“Despite much of the work taking place throughout COVID restrictions, the project safely progressed on schedule, which is testament to the project team’s hard work and determination. I am delighted to see the team recognised with these awards.”

The second award of the night was ‘Environmental Company of the Year’ acknowledging Esh’s efforts to implement carbon reduction initiatives throughout the business, as well as project-specific sustainability measures such as utilising low carbon concrete and aggregate recycling at its Tursdale facility.

The submission was supported by the Esh-Stantec joint venture, in partnership with Northumbrian Water, recognising its involvement over the past two years in exploring carbon culture through ‘sprints’ which took place as part of Northumbrian Water’s annual Innovation Festival.

Maire Lenihan, operations director for water at Stantec, said: “Congratulations to Esh for winning Environmental Company of the Year at the CECA North East Awards. It is a fantastic achievement, and we are proud to be collaborating as Esh-Stantec with Northumbrian Water, exploring carbon culture and ensuring a net-zero future.”

Finally, a special recognition award within the lifetime achievement category was given to the late Tony Carroll. Mr Carroll co-founded Lumsden & Carroll Civil Engineering along with Jack Lumsden in 1970, before the firm went on to become one of the founding companies of Esh in 1999. Mr Carroll sadly passed away earlier this year, aged 82, but this special recognition award commends his lifelong commitment and contribution to the civil engineering industry.

Garrigan added: “The special recognition award is richly deserved and a reminder to Tony’s family, friends, and former colleagues, of the legacy he created which we are proud to continue within our civil engineering division today. It was gratefully accepted in Tony’s memory by his son, Tony Carroll Jnr.”