Finance & Funding

A series of major highway and road projects have been proposed for Vietnam. Investors have submitted a proposal to build North-South road costing an estimated US$383.8 million. Another proposal has come from the Project Management Board 85 to develop Bien Hoa-Tan Thanh-Cai Mep Seaport expressway, with an estimated cost of $591.5 million.

The latest financial results for Wacker Neuson reveal strong demand for compact construction machines. The firm has reported revenue in excess of €1 billion for the first nine months of 2015. This marks an increase in business activity compared to the same period last year and a record high for the group. In light of the downturn in key markets in the third quarter, the company revised its forecast for 2015 downwards. However, it still expects to achieve record revenue business levels for 2015.

Work on Indonesia’s massive Trans Kalimantan road link will commence in 2016. The planned route stretches for some 7,600km and the project will be started by the Indonesian Government. The budget for the project is still unclear. The cost of the project was estimated in 2014 at US$496.74 million. More roads will be upgraded in 2016 because many of the country’s provincial and district roads will now feature national road status and will be managed by the central government. Another important project is for

A huge development of roads is expected in India. The Indian Government has plans to spend around US$15.29 billion on building 10,000km of roads in the North-East of the country. A significant portion, around $3.73 billion, will be used on roads development in Arunachal Pradesh. One key project now commencing is for the widening of the Akola-Murtizaur segment of National Highway 6. The $7.46 billion project is expected to be complete by 2020.

Plans are moving forward in Myanmar for the construction of a new highway link. A consortium made up of Halla Corp and Lotte E&C of South Korea and Capital Diamond Star Group (CDSG) of Myanmar is offering a proposal to build a 20.5km highway. This four-lane highway would connect Yangon and Bago and be constructed on a public-private-partnership basis. Drivers would have to pay a toll charge of US$1 each at three toll collection points. Phase I of the Yangon Urban Expressway project will cost US$620 million

France and Côte d'Ivoire have signed a financing deal worth US$206.46 million (€190 million) for the refurbishment of roads. This will form part of the French development aid programme. The funding will be directed towards rebuilding the Bouaké-Ferkéssédougou road and the Félix Houphouët-Boigny bridge in Abidjan. Under the terms of the debt restructuring programme the countries have agreed, France will receive money from Côte d'Ivoire and will then lend an equivalent amount.

Ukraine’s Regional Road Service estimates that US$1.08 billion is required to rebuild roads in the Donetsk Region. The work will be carried out from 2016-2025. Construction activity will focus on building 100km of new roads and repairing 2,500km of existing roads to meet current standards. The programme of work will provide up to 10,000 jobs in road-building and related industries.

Paraguay’s Ministry of Public Works and Communications will tender for the first part of the bi-oceanic corridor project this month. Work involves paving on the 255km section between Carmelo Peralta, Cruce Centinela and Loma Plata in the western region of the country under a turnkey format. The first section of the road is expected to require an investment of around US$280 million. The second stage of the project that will connect Paraguay with Argentina and cost $340 million. Work include paving

Strabag consortium has signed a contract with the Polish General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA) for construction of an S6 dual carriageway section. The work, worth around US$113 million, is due for completion in April 2019. It also makes Strabag responsible for more than 100km of S6 work. The latest section is from the Ustronie Morskie junction to the ring-road of Koszalin and Sianow. Before the entire S6 route is completed, a contract for Kolobrzeg-Ustronie Morskie section m

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has agreed to provide more than US$421 million to finance construction of the second phase of the international Ketta-Djoum road.