The restoration of the Dover Sea Wall, which allowed for the Ramsgate to London rail service to resume ahead of schedule, has won a gong.

The project has been recognised as the Best Infrastructure Project at the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) South East England Awards ceremony.

The accolade, for the project that most beneficially impacts residents in South East England, was given to engineering firms Costain and Tony Gee and Partners.

The team received the award due to the high level of complexity involved in the project and the immediate action following severe storm damage caused over the winter of 2015.

This greatly affected those travelling from all stations along the line from Ramsgate to Sandwich, Deal, Walmer, Martin Mill and Dover Priory.

The judges were impressed that the railway line was reopened three months earlier than planned, minimising delays and disruption to the community.

Suzanne Moroney, ICE London director, said: “I am delighted that the Dover Sea Wall project has received this award. The project ticks all the boxes, in terms of minimal impact on the community and environment and was delivered to the highest health and safety standards despite the challenging location and conditions of the site.

“The £36m project is great example of how local collaboration and expertise can solve local challenges with Tony Gee and Partners design project team based in Ashford, Kent and by Costain’s construction management team based in Tonbridge.”

While the initial emergency stabilisation works progressed the team reviewed options for a longer-term solution. To protect the existing wall, the team created a ‘rock armour’, which consisted of a new 240m-long reinforced concrete piled raft structure to support the railway, and a new fibre reinforced plastic footbridge to maintain a right of way over the railway onto the beach.

The collaboration on this project allowed the railway between Dover and Folkestone to be reopened in record time with minimal disruption to residents.

The Dover Sea Wall project also received a ‘highly commended’ during the event in the Brassey Award (Kent and East Sussex) for Engineering Excellence category.

Seven other projects and two individuals received awards on the evening, which was attended by senior figures from across the region’s built environment and construction sector.