Features

The recent co-located Samoter and Asphaltica exhibitions at VeronaFiere in Verona, Italy, have been hailed a success by organisers, exhibiting companies and trade delegations, after more than 40,000 visitors, including thousands from outside Italy, attended the combined 445 exhibitor company-strong four-day events. There is no doubt, as Guy Woodford reports, they provided a timely boost to an Italian construction equipment manufacturing sector enduring tough times

Advanced bridge formwork solutions are allowing contractors to complete vital major highway infrastructure projects covering Norway, Sweden, Estonia and Poland. Guy Woodford reports Building the Labbdalen bridges in Norway is a key feature of the E6 highway improvement programme. Main project contractor HÆHRE tasked RMD Kwikform and Teknikk with supplying a complete formwork and shoring solution that could tackle the challenging Norwegian terrain, whilst preserving the environment. Situated two hours

The 2014 edition of Hillhead, the three-day biennial flagship show for the quarrying, recycling and heavy construction industries, is set to welcome thousands of visitors, keen to see the latest leading equipment models alongside innovative machine and site management control technology. Guy Woodford reports on what a variety of major companies will be showcasing during this month’s show at Lafarge Tarmac’s Hillhead Quarry near Buxton in Derbyshire With around 450 UK and international suppliers of plant, eq

Despite tight finances due to the current global economic climate, the recent Transport Research Arena (TRA) 2014 show in Paris showed how innovative transport research, largely using cutting-edge ITS, is creating safer and smarter highways of the future. Guy Woodford reports How far can you drive around a car race track with no other vehicles on it on half a glass of fuel while attempting to maintain a speed of 60kph? After taking up the challenge offered by the Eco Driving Simulator using SiVIC (Simulatio

The 3rd Bosporus Bridge and the Northern Marmara Motorway will improve transport links between Europe and Asia and cut chronic congestion in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city - Mike Woof reports Work is now well underway on the 3rd Bosporus Bridge and the Northern Marmara Motorway, providing a new link for Turkish city Istanbul and the region as a whole. This enormous bridge and highway project is breaking several records for Turkey in terms of scale, as well as setting a number of international records for e

New developments in concrete paving will increase working efficiency for contractors - Mike Woof writes The concrete paving market is a fiercely competitive segment of the off-highway construction machinery business. Although there are only a few key players in this niche market, the firms are constantly developing new systems, equipment and methods in a bid to help improve working efficiencies for contractors working in the sector. It is of note that the majority of the key players in the concrete pavin

As the West African country of Ghana has been maintaining consistent GDP growth, substantial investment in industry and infrastructure has followed. One leading Ghanaian company, Justmoh Group, is using SDLG equipment to help the country achieve its economic and social ambitions

Two Liebherr machines, one LR 1200 crawler crane and one HS 895 HD duty cycle crawler crane, are currently employed in the construction of an international airport on Saint Helena. The island’s seclusion poses a particular challenge for this project Saint Helena, known as Napoleon’s last exile, is one of the oldest British colonies and is definitely one of the most remote places on earth. Located more than 2,000km from the African mainland in the South Atlantic Ocean, the British Overseas Territory Saint H

In Nigeria a major asphalt producer is increasing production capacity to cope with growing demand for its materials Nigeria is developing its road and highway network, which has triggered greater demand for quality aggregates and asphalt for construction. Producer Asphalt Unity Construction is now meeting this demand with its purchase of new mobile equipment from Sandvik Construction.

A series of new guardrail technologies and barrier developments are now coming to market - Mike Woof writes. An array of technical developments is helping improve highway safety for road users. New barrier and guardrail technologies can offer greater conspicuity so as to alert drivers, along with better restraint capabilities. Gregory Industries offers a wide range of steel and cable barrier types and has now developed an attachment system for international use. This fixes the guardrail to the post and in t

A new flyover in Pune, India is helping traffic flow, easing congestion in the city Work commenced on the Bharatratna JRD Tata double deck flyover in mid-2010 and now that the structure is carrying traffic, the city’s previous chronic congestion problem has eased significantly.

New junctions could cut chronic congestion in Kenyan capital Nairobi – Shem Oirere reports Kenya plans to replace all T-junctions in the country’s capital Nairobi with acceleration and deceleration lanes to address a crippling vehicle traffic regime estimated to consume $580,000 daily. “We will replace the junctions with acceleration and deceleration lanes,” said John Mosonik, the principal secretary in Kenya’s ministry of transport. He said the acceleration lanes, which allow cars joining the main road t

Representing an investment of around US$113 million, Botswana’s A1 national road between Tonota and Francistown is undergoing a major upgrade This single-lane section is being progressively transformed into a north- and southbound dual carriageway, crossing four existing river bridges along the way. A strategically important transportation route for both Botswana and the southern African region, the A1 passes through Francistown, the nation’s second largest city, heading northwards to end at the Zimbabwe b

IRF, together with the FIA, held a high-level seminar in Paris on Road Safety, Sustainable Development and Financing. Contributors to the seminar included, among others, the President and Secretary General of the FIA, the Secretary General of ITF, and the Chairman of iRAP IRF and the Fédération Internationale Automobile (FIA) jointly organised a seminar on Road Safety, Sustainable Development and Financing on Thursday 17 April, one week after the UN adopted its latest resolution on “Improving global road sa

The General Assembly and the Board of Directors of IRF at their annual Statutory Meeting held in Paris on 16th April 2014 have firmed up the venue and dates of the next IRF World Meeting. This major event will be held in New Delhi, the capital of India from 14-17 November 2017 Held every four years for the last 60 years, the World Meeting is a highly regarded and must-attend event.