Finance & Funding

The French president said his government said it is open to many more road improvement ideas from private road operators and concession holders if the work is at no cost to the taxpayer. President François Hollande made the announcement during the inauguration ceremony of a six lane upgrade of the A9 Autoroute between Perpignan and the toll area of Boulou in the Pyrenees Mountains region of southwest France. A report in the newspaper Les Echos said Hollande was reacting to suggestions put to him by th

The Vietnamese capital of Hanoi is looking to build 18 bridges and upgrade several city roads into major urban thoroughfares, according the latest transportation development plan. The People's Committee of Hanoi - the city authority – drafted the US$55 billion plan that focuses on all transportation development from now up to 2030. Contract types under consideration include build-own-operate (BOO), public private partnership (PPP), build-operate-transfer (BOT) and build-transfer, according to a report

Bancolombia has the largest involvement of all Colombia’s banks in the country’s 4G Road Programme after financial close of the Autopista Norte motorway project. The bank has around US$390 million invested in four out of five 4G road development projects that have secured the necessary funding so far, according to a report in Portafolio, an on-line economic magazine. The 145km Autopista Norte route connects the Caribbean port of Cartagena to the capital Bogota by way of the Ruta del Sol motorway, a 1,

Around 130 road projects are facing delays in Brazil, according to a data from Brazil's national land transport association ANTT. A report in the newspaper O Estado de Paulo noted that many delays are caused by problems with environmental licences and expropriations, as well as a decrease in road traffic due to the economic crisis. Among projects that were meant to have been completed are those by concession holders Rota do Oeste for the Via 040, Concebra for the Eco 101 and MSVia and Galvão for BR-15

The German construction equipment manufacturing association reports wide variations in business activity across different markets. Overall, the VDMA reports that for construction equipment, the 2016 growth forecast remains at over 3%. According to the VDMA, German construction equipment manufacturers remain cautiously optimistic at the middle of the year. “After a great bauma trade fair in April we are again in the midst of our daily business – which holds a number of challenges and uncertainties,” said

Plans are in hand for a new bridge between Cameroon and Chad. The new bridge will be built to improve the road connection between Yagoua in northern Cameroon and Bongor in Chad. It will cross the Logone River, which forms a stretch of the border between the two countries from Lake Chad and running to the south of Bongor. The work is expected to cost around US$127 million. The authorities in both countries are involved with the planning for the new bridge as there is a recognition in both nations that improv

Lebuhraya Borneo Utara, the project delivery partner for Malaysia’s Pan Borneo Highway project, has awarded a US$317.5 million contract to a joint venture of local Sarawak state firms. The 70:30 partnership of KKB and WCT will rehabilitate and upgrade the Sungai Arip Bridge-Bintulu Airport Junction section of the highway. Piling works, earthworks, geotechnical, drainage, roads, pavings, as well as demolition and site clearance are all part of the contract, said WCT. Work is expected to take four years an

Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has revealed a strong financial performance during the first half of 2016. Profits for the engineering firm reached US$792.754 million (900 billion South Korean Won) for the first half of 2016. The second quarter for the April-June period was healthy, with HHI achieving $8.68142 billion (9.8627 trillion Won) in sales, while operating income stood at $490.504 million (557.2 billion Won). Meanwhile accumulated sales hit $$17.7306 billion (20.1355 trillion Won) and operating p

The German province of Thuringia plans to maintain, repair and develop its road network during 2016. A budget of €222 million has been set for spending on roads in Thuringia during 2016 by the authorities. During the summer period there will be 37 workzone sites on Thuringia's road network. The main commercial and administrative centre for Thuringia is Erfurt, although the province also includes the historically important towns of Weimar and Eisenach.

Sales of construction machines have been improving in Italy. Data from the Italian equipment manufacturing association, UNACEA, shows how the market picked up during the first six months of 2016. The report reveals how sales in the Italian market rose 22% compared to the same period of 2015. The UNACEA quarterly study shows that 4,723 construction machines were sold during the first six months of 2016, including 4,617 earthmoving machines and 106 road machines. Compared with the same period for 2015, this e