Two road improvement projects that carry thousands of Surrey commuters a day are in the running for prestigious awards.

The cream of the engineering industry has shortlisted both Surrey County Council's building of the new Walton Bridge and its £100m Operation Horizon roads overhaul among regional finalists for the Institution of Civil Engineers awards.

The £32m road bridge, which carries more than 35,000 commuter cars a day between Shepperton and Walton-on-Thames, was completed last summer on time and on budget after an 18-month construction.

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Operation Horizon is ahead of schedule in a five-year project to overhaul more than 300 miles of Surrey's roads that need repair the most.

Mike Goodman, Surrey County Council's Cabinet Member for Environment and Planning, said: "Improving Surrey's roads is a major part of what we do because we have 50% more traffic than the national average, so it's great that two of our flagship highways projects are officially among the best in the South East."

The projects are two of 14 finalists in the Thames Valley section of the South East awards ceremony on 27 June, and Walton Bridge will also contest the London final on 22 May.

(CD/JP)