Finance & Funding

Only 44% of roads in the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg Vorpommern are in good or very good condition, according to a transport infrastructure report presented to the German parliament. Also, a third are in poor or very poor condition. The state - the least densely populated in all Germany - performed well compared to other states, according to German media reports. But there are more than 600km where the damage is so bad that it must be repaired as soon as possible or at least be closely m

Funding for a key project in Belarus could be supplied by the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Financing is required for the reconstruction of the M10 highway in Belarus, which runs from Kobrin through Gomel to the Russian border. The EBRD will consider options once the results of the tender have been revealed. The private sector looks likely to take part in the project, which is conceived as a PPP scheme, the first for Belarus. The project will be handled under the concession mode

Sweden is planning to construct more wildlife crossings in a bid to reduce roadkills. The plans have been drawn up by the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) and call for €321.74 million to be spent on building new wildlife crossings, bridges and underpasses, as well as erecting more wildlife fencing. The aim is to tackle the country’s current rising number of roadkills. There are currently 3,000km of wildlife fences in Sweden. A survey by Trafikverket has shown that a combination of wildlife fe

Vietnam is working on plans to develop a new highway in Ha Tinh. The proposal has been put forward by the Project Management Board Unit 85. The new highway would connect Vung Ang and Ham Nghi in Ha Tinh. A request has been lodged by the Project Management Board Unit 85 for funds worth US$232.56 million from build-operate-transfer investors and $94 million from State budget funds. Under the project, three additional bridges and 13 core bridges would be constructed. The project requires $299.64 million in

Construction consultants McBains Cooper has won a contract to help improve public-private partnership skill for the Colombian city of Medellin. McBains will train Medellin PPP Agency to help implement PPP procured projects in the city, Colombia’s second largest. Apart from road works that will include a new urban highway, projects will be across the transportation sector as well as in education such as school construction. Santiago Klein, international director at McBains Cooper, said the objective of

Britain’s M6toll motorway - now up for sale - has awarded its 190 millionth customer with a year’s free travel. James Hodson, director of motorway operations for toll road operator Midland Expressway, said it could save the driver around €2,550 over the year. The driver’s car was fitted with an M6toll Tag, a small electronic device fitted to a vehicle’s windscreen. It allows users to pre-pay for their journeys and pass through a dedicated lane usually without the need to stop. Tags normally cost a mon

Hill & Smith Holdings reports a good start to the year, with trading ahead of expectations. The firm’s latest trading update runs from 1st January 2016 to 30th April 2016. The board says it is pleased to report that trading in the period has been encouraging and is ahead of the expectations that it set out at the time of reporting its 2015 preliminary results in March. Revenue for the period was £163.1 million, compared with £153.2 million for the same period in 2015. This represent a 2% organic increase

Three underpasses and two bridges are scheduled for completion in 2018 as part of a US$91.2 million project to upgrade roads in the Business Bay residential district. Authorities are looking to address congestion problems at Sheikh Zayed Road and refurbish utility lines in the vicinity, according to Arabian Business. Business Bay is the central business district under construction with roads and other infrastructure, in an area where Dubai Creek is being dredged.

China’s Ministry of Transport has given the green light for construction of a US$1.67 billion highway in the eastern seaboard province of Zhejiang. The project is for a 58km road linking Taishun County with Wencheng County, around the nearby city of Wenzhou. Last month the ministry passed a feasibility study for the work which is set to start sometime next year.