NEWSLETTER Collaborations in bridge engineering

Following debate during a meeting at the Institution of Civil Engineers, Campbell Middleton of the Engineering Department at Cambridge University decided to formally launch a UK bridge forum. Initial approaches were made to the principal bridge owners in the UK and several meetings of an owners' forum have now been held. This forum brings together representatives from every large bridge owner and the established groupings of smaller owners. The forum is used as a means of discussing common problems, establishing common approaches to engineering and legal issues and, primarily, to discus on going research and identify new areas where collaborative research would be beneficial.

One meeting of a similar forum bringing together consulting engineers working in the bridge field has been held and a further meeting is planned for later this year, which is likely to have at least one joint session with the owners. It is also hoped to inaugurate a forum for bridge researchers in the future.

For more information see www.bridgeforum.com.

The Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions has recently established the Bridges Board as a subsidiary body to its Roads Liaison Group. Whilst primarily aimed at public sector highway bridges the Board's remit is to take a broad view of construction, strengthening, maintenance management and standards of bridges and to identify national policy issues and technical areas of common interest.

The Bridge Forum is expected to act as the technical advisory group to the Bridges Board and may well initiate research proposals that will be passed to the Board for funding. In addition there are a number of members common to both the Forum and the Board that will help to ensure consistency and commonality of purpose.