Informed by roundtable discussions with technical experts, the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE) ‘State of the Nation 2025’ report highlights key challenges and concerns from across our country’s infrastructure network. From the aging transport network and renewable energy revolution, to forecasted water shortages, we break down the report here…
Transport: Aging infrastructure
ICE’s roundtable discussions revealed a growing disquiet around the resilience of our transport network, with aging assets (particularly bridges) causing significant concern. In fact, the fabric of many older assets is said to be deteriorating at an alarming rate, with the effects of climate change taking its toll, especially on bridges carrying far heavier traffic loads than its design had originally envisaged.
It presents the question: how should professionals communicate when a structure has changed from being acceptably safe to acceptably unsafe?
While the UK government appears to be prioritising asset maintenance and renewal over expansion, or at least this is what the budget announcement appeared to suggest, it is clear we first need a nationwide picture of current conditions – a challenge in itself. Adopting a culture of data collection and digital asset monitoring will be key as we move forwards, facilitating data-driven decision making and more predictive maintenance, as well as helping to set common standards for the condition of road and rail infrastructure.
That said, data in isolation is not knowledge. The report highlights ICE’s belief that data cannot fully replace the expertise and experience of an experienced engineer, with the concern that an overreliance on data may lead to a culture of box-ticking and micromanagement. Instead, data needs to be collected, handled and used carefully – otherwise, we run the risk of duplicating work, rather than providing improvements in efficiency levels.
Water: Resource scarcity and leakage
Transport isn’t the only sector where big issues need to be tackled. The report also focusses on the water resource challenge, mainly: how do we make more of it available for supply in water-stressed areas of the UK?
Currently, the UK uses around 14 billion litres of water every day. However, England alone will need almost five billion more litres by 2050, according to the Environment Agency’s latest estimate, putting immense strain on our aging water infrastructure. Already, the thousands of kilometres of Victorian sewers still in use are struggling to handle demand, leading to raw sewage being discharged into rivers and coastal waters.
Leaks are another major concern, with millions of litres of treated water lost daily due to outdated and poorly maintained pipelines. Tackling these leaks is no easy task, with much of our water infrastructure running through densely populated areas. It goes without saying that carrying out ground excavations in busy urban thoroughfares to repair or replace water mains will be both costly and highly disruptive, with UK water companies having historically focussed more on repair than replacement.
According to the UK Water Industry Research, there are 420 water company projects tackling the problem of leakage around the country, ranging from new gels that can seal leaks from the inside of pipes to the use of robots to perform internal pipeline inspections. It’s even been suggested that these robots will be able to make repairs themselves in five to 10 years’ time.
Power: The era of renewables
Moving onto power and increased demand combined with the rapid expansion of renewable energy sources is putting pressure on our existing electricity grid. While wind and solar power adoption has surged, tidal energy is also back on the agenda – including a proposed barrage-based power station on the Mersey estuary.
The ICE is looking to partner with the National Grid on building a community of professionals that can meet the challenge of keeping our country’s 90-year-old electricity transmission and distribution network fit for purpose. As part of this, The Great Grid Upgrade is set to modernise the network, ensuring it can handle the nation’s shift from fossil fuels to renewables. Strategic investment in battery storage, smart grids and digital monitoring will all help to ensure a more flexible, resilient system.
The common thread?
Across all sectors, a recurring theme is the need for proactive asset management and maintenance.
As our aging infrastructure struggles to cope with increased demand, a growing population and evolving usage, it’s clear that reactive approaches are no longer viable. Instead, we must leverage digital tools, data insights, new technologies and collaborative frameworks to extend asset life and enhance resilience.
At Mabey Hire, we are ready to support contractors across the transport, energy and water sectors, with our 60 years of engineering expertise, innovative structural monitoring, digital design capabilities and comprehensive temporary works solutions helping the industry to meet the evolving demands of asset management.
