Features

Bridge safety is a key concern in the US, where so many structures are deficient - *Mary Scott Nabers. There are more than 54,000 structurally deficient bridges in the US. That designation does not mean the bridges are in imminent danger of collapsing, but it does mean that they need immediate attention. That fact becomes more alarming when one realises that every day more than 174 million motorists drive over the nation’s structurally deficient bridges. And, there are no plans for repairing the majority of

The Canadian city’s replacement Champlain Bridge will open on schedule at the end of the year. Montreal, one of Canada’s largest cities, will have a well-earned Christmas present in December when the new Champlain Bridge opens after 42 months of construction. The new bridge, part of a six-lane 6km corridor including roads, is being built alongside the original bridge over the Saint Lawrence River and Seaway canal system. The new bridge, 3.4km long, runs from the île des Soeurs to Brossard, immediately dow

The first session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) opened in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing recently. Chinese premier Li Keqiang delivered the annual report on the work of the government at the opening ceremony. Zeng Guang’an, NPC deputy for Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and chairman of Guangxi Liugong Group, attended the conference. Zeng Guang’an listened to the Government Report and participated in the panel discussion of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. He reported to premier Li

Rockster’s DUPLEX System is being used in an extraction operation in Tanzania. The PB Mining Company in Tanzania selected Rockster’s 2-in-1 machine for crushing highly abrasive rock. The extraction firm was formed in 2014 and specialises in the exploration of lead glance, named Galena, the natural mineral form of lead sulphide. This is the most important ore of lead and usually contains about 1–2% silver, a byproduct that far outweighs the main lead ore in revenue. Because of its low melting point, it is e

In Algeria, LafargeHolcim has introduced roller compacted concrete (RCC) for the first time in the country to renovate the RN45 road, with reduced costs, construction time and increased durability - *Nicolas Miravalls. Heavy traffic on a road stretch in northern Algeria has resulted in the need for rebuilding of the link, making it better able to cope with demand. In Algeria’s Msila region, the RN 45 road carries over 700 heavy load trucks/day, 365 days/year and required a major re-construction. In 2017, La

Concrete paving equipment from Wirtgen has been used to slipform a concrete road surface in south-west Nigeria Anew concrete roadway connects the towns of Itori und Ibese in Nigeria’s Ogun State. The construction work has been carried out by AG-Dangote Construction Company and made use of the sophisticated technology offered by Wirtgen’s SP 500 slipform paver. For this project, the contractor, a joint venture between the Brazilian company Andrade Gutierrez Company and the Dangote Group from Nigeria, rel

It’s one minute to midnight for funding England’s roads, according to a timely new report, and the clock’s big hand is pointing to some form of user-pay solution, reports David Arminas Is there any way out of future user-pay funding for England’s highway infrastructure? The answer is a resounding ‘no’, according to the recently published report: Funding Roads for the Future. The brief 25-page document by the London-based Association for Consultancy and Engineering, ACE**, sums up the state of England’s ro

XCMG recently hosted Chinese president Xi Jinping. During his annual national inspections following the 19th CPC National Congress, President Xi started his tour by reviewing operations at the XCMG headquarters During this particular stop, President Xi voiced his support for XCMG’s independent research and innovation, and the ways the company has strengthened the development of the economy and the manufacturing industry.

A major auction of construction machines has been carried out successfully in Dubai by the specialist firm Euro Auctions The firm says that it has consolidated its Middle East position with its second Dubai sale. According to Euro Auctions, the firm saw increases in buyers and vendors at the one-day plant and machinery sale. The company held its first Dubai auction in September and has now carried out a successful follow-up event that attracted more buyers and vendors. The firm saw an increase in the

An upgraded road link will improve transport between Uganda and Kenya - Shem Oirere reports Rainfall patterns and type of soil in an agricultural rich area shared by the neighbouring East African countries of Kenya and Uganda was a key consideration in arriving at the decision to upgrade to bitumen standards 73km of the 118km Kapchorwa-Kitale road that links the two countries. Initially, Uganda had proposed to have the road between Kapchorwa and Suam on its border with Kenya re-gravelled and widened to a

Ukraine’s capital Kiev will benefit from a new ring road – Eugene Gerden writes The government of Ukraine, together with the authorities of the Ukrainian capital Kiev, plans to invest up to US$2 billion in the building of a new ring road around the city. The new road, known as the Great Ring Road, will be around 200km long, of which 65km will be of existing roads and 148km of new roads. The ring road will connect three international transport corridors that run through the territory of Ukraine, as well

The IRF office in Washington has presented an award to revolutionary ecological permeable pavement that helps avoid heat islands Climate specialists and town planners everywhere are increasingly aware of the thermal impacts of city pavements which trap heat on hot summer days, and are known as “urban heat islands”. These heat islands can adversely impact the sustainability of cities by increasing the dependence on mechanical cooling. Permeable pavements, such as porous asphalt, offer some relief but typi

Last November, at the IRF World Road Meeting in Delhi, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Tranportation Research Board Executive Director Neil Pedersen, Kiran K Kapila, chairman of the International Road Federation (IRF) in Geneva, and Susanna Zammataro, IRF Geneva Executive Director. TRB and IRF Geneva share mutual organisational objectives, and this MoU provides a conceptual framework for partnership to share knowledge, improve implementation of innovative solutions, disseminate good pract

The push towards cleaner-running driveline developments from engine firms is continuing - Mike Woof writes. Sophisticated driveline developments are being seen right across the engine and drivetrain segment, with new low emission technologies being unveiled. High performance and extended service intervals are claimed, while tailpipe emissions have been reduced to meet the coming EU Stage V and latest US Tier 4 Final requirements. But different firms are taking different routes to delivering cleaner tailp

The excavator and wheeled loader segments represent massive sales volumes for manufacturers, so new model development is prioritised - Mike Woof writes. The crawler excavator segment accounts for a substantial portion of total sales of construction machines. With this in mind, it is no surprise that this is a market segment for which manufacturers prioritise a significant proportion of their research and development budgets. Wheeled loaders, while not selling in quite such large numbers as crawler excava