The boundaries of the South Western Branch stretch from Lands End to the southern edge of Worcestershire in the north and to the western border of Hampshire in the east. Within the area are the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Cuba (the county that used to be Avon). With the Cotswolds, Hardy’s Wessex, Dartmoor and Exmoor and the surfing beaches of Cornwall, it is hardly surprising that we are often hosts to other branches, most notably the Northern Ireland Branch!

Founded in 1948, the Branch is one of the largest, standing fourth after Greater London, Southern and West Midlands (as at October 1998). It has produced no less than eight national Presidents starting with Lt Colonel John Blackwell in 1934, Robert Carnegie, Jock Thompson, Henry Criswell of “Criswell Curve” fame, John Leigh, Bill Lee, Michael Clark and IHT President (1997–1998) John Wootton.

The branch stretches across the region from the tip of Cornwall, through Devon and Somerset to Dorset in the east, and through Wiltshire and Bristol to Gloucestershire in the north. The Channel Isles and the Isles of Scilly are also in the region.

A programme of seminars and workshops is organised throughout the year covering all aspects of highway engineering from integrated transport solutions and traffic management, through to road design and construction, blacktop materials and quarrying, network management and procurement strategies.

The Branch Committee includes representatives from quarry companies, contractors and consultants, and local authorities.The highlight of the Branch calendar is the Annual Conference held in Torquay each year at the end of May. A technical seminar and keynote speech is complemented by a social dinner and a corporate luncheon.

The membership currently stands at over 700 and incorporates a wide range of employers. The Branch has strong representation from consultants, central and local government, contractors and the materials industry. With such a wide range of backgrounds, the Branch programme of events over the years has reflected the variety of members’ interests.

Typically topics have included:

A look into future developments in the Transportation and Highways field
Integrated Transport and Traffic Reduction
Bridge Engineering
Regional Traffic Control Centres
Traffic Signal Design
The material recycling trials in Somerset
Railtrack Upgrading
The Safer City Project, and
Site visits to the TRL and the Chippenham Bypass and Railway Bridge Slide

Because of the size of the area covered, these events are held at various locations including Plymouth, Exeter, Taunton, Dorchester, Bristol and Gloucester. Afternoon and evening seminars are becoming more popular for professionals with ever-increasing workloads, so we try to provide a good selection of these, along with at least two full day technical seminars.

Many of our members are also involved in other related professional bodies namely:

The Institution of Civil Engineers
The Institution of Structural Engineers
The Institute of Highways Incorporated Engineers
The Institute of Asphalt Technology
The Institute of Quarrying
The Institute of Management
The Institute of Directors

Joint meetings for topics of shared interest are therefore often organised.

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