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Cifa equipment is pressed into service for Venice’s Mose project
November 25, 2015
The Mose project is a vast intervention plan by Italy’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport to protect Venice from flooding. It also has presented Cifa and its partners a big challenge for pumping concrete over a long distance. The work, being carried out by the Venezia Nuova Consortium, consisting of national and local construction and engineering companies, includes four mobile barriers consisting of 78 gates at the lagoon’s inlets. Most of the time the barriers will be resting on the seabed and not
UN highlights safety pandemic on roads
November 23, 2015
Jean Todt, special envoy of UN secretary general on the challenge of road safety Jean Todt, president of, Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and special envoy of the UN secretary general on road safety spoke about the next steps in tackling the plague of road accidents. “Every year, on the world's roads, almost 1.3 million people die. According to the WHO (World Health Organization), road traffic crashes are now the eighth leading cause of death globally, and the leading cause of death am
Sustainable road construction: current practices and future concepts
November 23, 2015
The road sector produces the highest level of greenhouse gas, directly, through fossil energy used in mining, transportation, paving works... and indirectly through the emissions coming from vehicles.
CECE Summit – is Europe ready for a digital construction worksite?
November 20, 2015
The CECE has voiced his concern over government regulations that could strangle innovation for the digitalisation of construction machinery. China’s imploding economy was another topic at the recent conference in Brussels, reports David Arminas. The CECE has urged the European Parliament and European Commission to enact legislation that promotes rather than hinders the construction sector’s transition to a digitalised way of working. “We need a smart regulatory framework that helps to unlock the full poten
A rejuvenator derived from pine trees and natural asphalt
November 20, 2015
This month we look at two additives from natural sources: a rejuvenator derived from pine trees and naturally occurring asphalt - Kristina Smith writes One of the problems experienced with pavements containing RAP is that, although they exhibit good rutting resistance, they often fail early due to fatigue cracking. Biorefiner Arizona Chemical has just unveiled independent test results for its SYLVAROAD RP1000 Performance Additive that it says demonstrate that the rejuvenator can help create mixes that ar
More efficient asphalt output from new plants
November 20, 2015
Advances in asphalt plant design offer major gains in product throughput and quality, while also allowing for warm asphalt and increased recycling The asphalt sector is constantly looking for ways to optimise production, lower costs and improve product quality and consistency. Competition is fierce in the asphalt plant market, with several of the key companies working hard to develop new and more efficient technologies, as well as equipment that is more versatile and more mobile. Advances have been made
Thiruvananthapuram City Road Improvement Project to tackle congestion
November 19, 2015
Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala (India) had been witnessing rapid urbanisation. The government of Kerala implemented the Thiruvananthapuram City Road Improvement Project (TRCIP) to widen the 42km of existing road network to cater for the needs of rapid urbanisation. The government of Kerala started the initiative with the Enactment of Kerala Road Fund Act in 2001 and setting up of the Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB) in 2004 to approve the Public Private Partnership arrangements and allocate
Advances in tunneling machines coming to market
November 19, 2015
A diverse array of new tunnelling technologies will help boost productivity and cut project costs, while boosting quality - Mike Woof writes The worldwide market for tunnelling projects continues to be strong, with a series of major projects underway or planned for the future. These good market conditions have helped fuel research and development in new tunnelling equipment, designed to be more productive, more efficient and more reliable and able to deliver a higher quality of work. Drilling and blas
1st IRF Europe & Central Asia Regional Congress held on in Turkey
November 18, 2015
The International Road Federation (IRF) organised its first Regional Congress & Exhibition in Istanbul, Turkey on 15–18 September, 2015 The IRF is a non-governmental, not-for-profit membership organisation founded in Washington, DC in 1948 with the mission to encourage and promote development and maintenance of better, safer and more sustainable roads and road networks around the world.
The AFB20 (2) Roadside Safety Sub-committee urges more cooperation
November 17, 2015
The AFB20 (2) Roadside Safety Sub-committee on International Research Activities calls for closer cooperation between road authorities and the industry On 15 September 2015, the AFB20 (2) Roadside Safety Sub-committee on International Research Activities held its third European workshop in Istanbul, Turkey.
Report into passively safe lighting columns
November 16, 2015
Lighting columns and other roadside structures such as overhead gantries play an essential role in road safety, by improving night time visibility or giving information to drivers. However old generation units themselves pose a potential hazard as they can be impacted by vehicles departing the roadway and potentially with fatal results in the event of a high speed crash. This is why newer passively safe columns have been developed, which are designed to collapse in a controlled fashion when impacted, reduci
Report into passively safe lighting columns
November 16, 2015
Lighting columns and other roadside structures such as overhead gantries play an essential role in road safety, by improving night time visibility or giving information to drivers. However old generation units themselves pose a potential hazard as they can be impacted by vehicles departing the roadway and potentially with fatal results in the event of a high speed crash. This is why newer passively safe columns have been developed, which are designed to collapse in a controlled fashion when impacted, reduci
Pilosio Building Peace Awards event attracts high profile speakers
November 10, 2015
Actress Sharon Stone challenged guests at the fifth annual awards in Milan to “build me a school”; they accepted. World Highways was there. What does it take to galvanise people into action to help people in need, especially refugees during a time of conflict – as in Syria now? For some it has been the recent media stories – and distressing images – of the child Aylan Kurdi, a three-year old Syrian refugee whose lifeless body lay face down on a beach in Turkey.
Protecting the roadway with guard rails
November 10, 2015
Tata Construction Products is a major player in the European road protection market and aims to boost its share of business - Mike Woof writes. Part of the massive Tata Group, Tata Construction Products is a major player in Europe’s business segment for steel guard rails. Rodney Rice, marketing manager, Tata Steel Construction Products, said, “Our market is predominantly Europe.”
IRF Washington advocates for PPPs in traffic enforcement to boost safety
November 10, 2015
New IRF Policy Paper outlines effective automated traffic enforcement PPP models. In most countries traffic enforcement cameras and other equipment are purchased, owned, and operated by government organisations. The past two decades have seen a wide-ranging wave of privatisations and introduction of public private partnerships (PPP) in formerly government-owned or controlled activities, including traffic enforcement. Implementing this concept requires a set of principles and good practices presented in