Features

This new analysis has been published by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC). According to the ETSC data, 2014 showed the lowest annual reduction in EU road deaths since 2001. In all 25,845 people were killed in road crashes in the 28 nations of the EU during 2014. This represented a decrease of just 0.6% compared to 2013. EU member states now need to cut deaths by almost 8% each year until 2020 to meet the target set in 2010 to halve deaths within a decade.

A series of formwork developments are helping with challenging bridge construction projects around the world - Mike Woof writes In the Polish city of Krakow, a cost-effective cable stayed bridge is being constructed using a balanced cantilever technique. The current expansion of the Krakow metropolitan railway network (KST) requires the building of a crossing of the Krakow-Plaszow railway junction. Ensuring that daily rail operations remained unaffected during the construction of the 252m long crossing w

Rebuilding of one of the oldest motorways in Germany is testing out the possibilities for public-private project road construction reports Adrian Greeman A freshly renovated section of the A8 Autobahn in southern Germany will be watched with some interest this summer as traffic begins driving along its rebuilt carriageway and additional third lanes. That is not because of any special road features, other than a distinctive reddish colour to its concrete surface, but because it is a first fullscale public

So far 14 organisations have joined forces to make the 1st IRF Europe & Central Asia Regional Congress a hub for up-to-date regional knowledge and industry practices. Leading stakeholder organisations ranging from the South East Europe Transport Observatory to the Turkish Asphalt Contractors Association (ASMUD) have provided key policy input and will be holding side sessions on topics closely connected to core themes of the Congress. “ASMUD creates and supports organising the platforms in national and inte

The IRF Geneva said that India has the dubious distinction of claiming the highest number of fatalities by road crashes. More than 10% of road-related deaths occur in India alone, and this poses a serious challenge, being the major killer of young and productive lives. While India’s infrastructure programme is being lauded all over the world and high rate of growth has been achieved for the 1.25 billion strong democracy, a significant 3% of the GDP is lost every year due to the uncontrolled and unmanaged

Geosynthetic materials are increasing its significance in many applications in the civil and underground engineering. One of such application is in foundation stabilization for roads. A life cycle assessment (LCA) study on behalf of the European Association for Geosynthetic Manufacturers (EAGM)1 has re-vealed that the use of geosynthetic materials will contribute for sustainable highways. In road construction the sub-base needs to meet defined requirements for compaction and bearing ca-pacity. Improveme

A historic route in the US state of Arkansas has benefited from the use of machine control during its upgrade The south-west - north-east US Route 67 in Arkansas has long been a significant transport route. This old road follows the natural break between the Ozark Mountains and the Ouachita Mountains. In the 1920s, funding became available for road paving, and the route was designated US Route 67.

Improving technologies for machine control systems continue to deliver increases in efficiency for contractors - Mike Woof writes Machine control technologies have continued to develop as the specialist suppliers in this fiercely fought sector seek to find a competitive advantage over their rivals. The key players, Leica Geosystems, MOBA, Topcon and Trimble, have all been pushing the boundaries with their latest technologies. Although the systems these firms are introducing are aimed at a number of differen

Melbourne’s road users are the focus of a year-long study into what options are possible for funding road infrastructure projects including various user-pays models. The study headed by Australian toll roads operator Transurban will conducted across Melbourne’s entire road network to see how drivers react to tolling and other road-use models such as charging motorists for each kilometre travelled, a charge to access roads, annual fixed costs per kilometre on expected usage and price per trip. It will al

A series of new rubber tyred asphalt compactors are now coming to market from several key manufacturers - Mike Woof writes Several of the major European compactor manufacturers are introducing new rubber tyred machines to meet demand. Pneumatic tyred rollers are often used for finishing work in road construction, due to the high quality surface they can deliver.

Intelligent compaction technologies continue to advance in sophistication - Mike Woof writes Ever more sophisticated intelligent compaction technologies are being offered to customers, which can boost working efficiency and help improve construction quality. This is particularly the case for the compaction of asphalt running surfaces. Asphalt cooling leaves only a short time window during which a paved mat can be properly compacted, so intelligent compaction systems offer major gains for contractors and cli

Increasing asphalt plant sophistication will boost the capabilities for the use of recycled materials - Mike Woof writes Major innovation is being seen in the asphalt plant sector with many of the major manufacturers developing sophisticated new plants. The increased use of recycled materials and reduced fumes emissions are all important issues for the segment. In the US for example, the potential for recycled asphalt has been well identified. It is now one of the most frequently recycled industrial materia