Features

Many of Kenya’s bridges are in poor condition writes Shem Oirere. The lack of programmed maintenance of bridges in Kenya continues to undermine the structural integrity of the infrastructure and compromising their general usage safety despite the existence of approved measures to protect them from falling into a state of disrepair. Experts think that both the absence of a maintenance component in bridge construction contracts, especially for those built one or two decades ago, and a weak maintenance supervi

As industry and governments around the world continue to grapple with the challenges of vehicle automation, experts will gather in Sydney at the end of May to take stock of progress on the global journey to a new era of mobility. The two-day 2018 Roads Australia (RA) – IRF Regional Conference for Asia and Australasia, to be held over May 31st and June 1st, marks only the second time the two organisations have co-hosted an international event ‘down under’. And with RA playing a key role in helping inform t

Glass fibre and old tyres can help reduce road wear, according to recent research. Alan Dron reports from the Transport Research Arena – TRA 2018 – event in Vienna. Environmental issues were close to the heart of many presentations at this year’s event at the Reed Exhibition Messe in the Austrian capital from April 16-19. This included decarbonisation – such as making engines more environmentally friendly – and the challenge of digitalisation to create a more efficient transport system.

At last some good news about plastic waste: road authorities around the world are starting to use it in their roads - Kristina Smith reports.

New technology and reduced machine emissions were amongst the key topics at the CEA conference in London - Mike Woof writes. Construction machine manufacturers are going to have to find new solutions if targets on emissions controls are going to be met. This is a clear viewpoint for the industry. But as the speakers at the recent CEA conference in London showed, there are differing opinions on how that will be achieved and what technical solutions will come to the fore. Duncan Riding, business development

Preparations are underway for the world’s leading road, tunnel and bridge exhibition Produced by the International Road Federation, the IRF Global Road2Tunnel Expo & Conference is the only international conference and tradeshow of its kind dedicated to road, tunnel and bridge construction. “Technology and innovations are evolving at a pace never seen before in the history of the road and transport sector” noted IRF president & CEO C Patrick Sankey. “From innovations in materials, such as self-healing con

Rebuilding a congested stretch of highway in Florida will cut congestion and boost safety for commuters - Mike Woof writes. Florida’s 214km-long I-4 highway provides a key transport route between Tampa and Daytona Beach, but has an unenviable reputation for both congestion and safety, with frequent delays due to heavy traffic as well as crashes. The stretch running through the city of Orlando is particularly prone to jams at peak periods, with huge traffic volumes resulting in vehicles having to slow to a c

With the signing of the Consortium Charter in Washington DC last January, IRF Geneva has formalised its involvement in the Sustainable Mobility for All Initiative (SuM4All) Led by the World Bank, the SuM4All is a multi-stakeholder partnership that aims to reshape the global mobility agenda through advocacy, action, and financing. SuM4All brings together a diverse and high-level group of stakeholders which includes: Multilateral Developments Banks, United Nations Agencies, Programs, and Regional Commissio

With the signing of the Consortium Charter in Washington DC last January, IRF Geneva has formalised its involvement in the Sustainable Mobility for All Initiative (SuM4All) Led by the World Bank, the SuM4All is a multi-stakeholder partnership that aims to reshape the global mobility agenda through advocacy, action, and financing. SuM4All brings together a diverse and high-level group of stakeholders which includes: Multilateral Developments Banks, United Nations Agencies, Programs, and Regional Commissio

Julián Núñez, president of ASECAP, gets his teeth into the vision of a European strategy for toll roads. David Arminas reports from Madrid Getting European politicians to agree to a long-term cross-border highway infrastructure programme for toll roads is extremely difficult. It’s a bit like pulling teeth. People want to avoid the pain. This is perhaps a bad analogy to use in the case of Julián Núñez, president of ASECAP - European Association of Operators of Toll Road Infrastructures. Núñez had just sat

The 97th Transportation Research Board meeting was held in Washington from 7-11 January this year. Nearly 13,800 visitors from 70 countries attended the event that covers all things transport-related. “We’ve had a big increase in visitors from Asian countries in the last two years, particularly from China,” said TRB's director of communications Lisa Berardi Marflak. Controls Group, celebrating its 50th year in business, was one of the exhibitors there, showcasing four testing systems: the AsphaltQube, the

Roads in the US keep failing so the Federal Highways Authority is proposing a new approach to mix design, but what does this mean for tests and testing? - Kristina Smith reports How do you test an asphalt mix for rutting? In the US, the answer could be any one of several tests, depending on which State you are in: Asphalt Pavement Analyser, Flow Number, Hamburg Wheel Tracking Test, Superpave Shear Test or Triaxial Stress Sweep Test. But that could all change. The Federal Highways Agency (FHWA), part of

The use of recycled materials continues to be a key issue for asphalt plant development, but other advances are also being introduced to meet market needs - Mike Woof writes The asphalt plant market has been a focus for a series of technical developments in recent years. Warm asphalt solutions and new technology for the use of recycled asphalt have been high on the R&D priority list for manufacturers of both continuous and batching type plants. However, new developing technology is not the only driver f

A milling machine from Bomag has been carrying out an important portion of the work needed for a four-lane expansion of a busy route in Southern Germany Widening work has been carried out on the B85 route from Amberg to Pittersberg in Bavaria to boost its capacity. The 2.6km section was prioritised as being in urgent need of improvement by the Federal transport Ministry. Construction work commenced in mid-2017, starting with preparation works and the project includes a cloverleaf interchange to connect t