25th July 2008, 02:17 PM
To add to Dr Peter's list of Olympic spin-offs (and PCA / MoLAS are not the only archaeological organisations working on the main London site) we can add the Weymouth Relief Road.
This project had been shelved some years ago and was only revived because it appeared in the Olympic bid document in order to demonstrate that spectators for the sailing events would actuaslly be able to reach the venue rather than be stuck in the usual summer traffic jam between Dorchester and Weymouth. Advance archaeological works will commence this autumn and last for several months, with further works being undertaken during construction.
On a more general level, my recollection of the last recession is that the government poured money into construction (especially roads) in order to reduce potential redundancies and loss of skills in that industry. If this is repeated then there should be some spin-off work for archaeologists.
Beamo
This project had been shelved some years ago and was only revived because it appeared in the Olympic bid document in order to demonstrate that spectators for the sailing events would actuaslly be able to reach the venue rather than be stuck in the usual summer traffic jam between Dorchester and Weymouth. Advance archaeological works will commence this autumn and last for several months, with further works being undertaken during construction.
On a more general level, my recollection of the last recession is that the government poured money into construction (especially roads) in order to reduce potential redundancies and loss of skills in that industry. If this is repeated then there should be some spin-off work for archaeologists.
Beamo