Paul Arnold, Highways Agency senior project manager for the £371m Hindhead Tunnel, was recognised in the New Year Honours list. He was omitted in error from our previous report.
Mr Arnold, who lives near the site of the recently opened tunnel in Surrey, started his civil engineering career in 1971 in one of the government's road construction units (RCUs). He left when they were disbanded in 1980 but then returned to work for the Department of Transport in February 1986 in the southeast regional office.
One of his first projects was identifying and delivering a solution to the bottleneck at the A3 in Hindhead. According to the Highways Agency, Mr Arnold’s work has “set a new standard for how vital infrastructure improvements can be delivered in a way that not only protects but enhances the environment”.
The Highways Agency said that the scheme “restores peace and tranquillity to an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty by diverting the A3 from the Devil's Punch Bowl, an internationally protected site, while at the same time delivering benefits for the A3 drivers and the local community”.
Mr Arnold said: "Having spent 25 years working to deliver this project, I am delighted to have received this honour. It recognises all the hard work and the effort that not only I, but the whole project team, have put into delivering this vitally important project on the A3.
"For me personally this is a gratifying end to my career as I am due to retire soon."
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