Finance & Funding

Contracts are about to be signed for the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link

March 13, 2015

Nearly eight years after Denmark and Germany agreed to construct a major undersea road and rail tunnel, the first contracts are about to be signed. David Arminas reports. Construction is due to start later this year on one of Europe’s most ambitious, as well as the world’s longest, road and rail tunnels, the 17.6km Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link between Germany and Denmark. Fehmarnbelt is expected to cost around US$7.5 billion and be five times the length of the Øresund tunnel between the Danish capital Copenhagen

Contracts are about to be signed for the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link

March 13, 2015

Nearly eight years after Denmark and Germany agreed to construct a major undersea road and rail tunnel, the first contracts are about to be signed. David Arminas reports. Construction is due to start later this year on one of Europe’s most ambitious, as well as the world’s longest, road and rail tunnels, the 17.6km Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link between Germany and Denmark. Fehmarnbelt is expected to cost around US$7.5 billion and be five times the length of the Øresund tunnel between the Danish capital Copenhagen

Kazakhstan planning major infrastructure programme

March 12, 2015

Kazakhstan is planning a major programme of infrastructure investment in a bid to develop the country’s economy. In all some US$40 billion will be invested in building infrastructure, with transportation as well as health and education all having been prioritised. Road and rail links will be developed, with many new links also being constructed.

Solution found for Colombian tunnel project?

March 12, 2015

A solution seems to have been found for Colombia’s long-running La Linea Tunnel project. Work has been delayed on the tunnel for a number of reasons and on a number of occasions, most recently due to funding issues. But previous delays were due to such diverse causes as technical challenges posed by the difficult conditions and a lack of suitable insurance cover. The Colombian Government has come to an agreement with the Segundo Centenario consortium building the tunnel that will see construction activity r

Manufacturing body CECE issues positive results

March 12, 2015

The European construction equipment manufacturer’s association, CECE, has released its strongly positive Economic Report for 2014. According to this report, equipment sales in the European market grew by 9% in 2014. However a flat sales growth is forecast for 2015. The report says that 2014 was a troubled, yet good, year for the European construction equipment industry. Sales on the European market grew by 9% compared to 2013, highlighting slight growth in construction. The European construction equipment m

Indonesia’s Trans-Sumatra highway inches ahead

March 11, 2015

Indonesia will form a consortium of state enterprises to build all the 2,700km of the Trans-Sumatra toll highway, from Lampung to Aceh on the island of Sumatra. The finance department is also setting up special infrastructure banks to provide flexible loans for the state departments to fund the project, Indonesian media reported. Indonesia recently changed the law that had the state infrastructure company PT Hutama Karya as the only organisation allowed to build major projects. Other state enterprises can n

Colombia: PPP for motorway between Cesar and La Guajira

March 11, 2015

In Colombia, the Council of Ministers has given official approval to a fourth public-private partnership (PPP), this time for a motorway between Cesar and La Guajira. The 350km road, costing an estimated US$151 million, will connect San Roque with Cuestecita, take four years to build and employ around 1,400 workers. The announcement comes Columbia’s National Infrastructure Agency said it will help finance construction of the Toyo tunnel in Antioquia. The tunnel, nearly 10km-long and costing almost $765, wil

Panama planning road development project

March 10, 2015

Panama looks set for a major development programme for its road network. The country’s Ministry of Public Works (MOP) has plan for some US$2.95 billion of road development projects over the next five years. One of the key projects will be to upgrade the Howard-Puente Centenario road. Other important projects being prioritised include the construction of new access roads to the Tocumen international airport's cargo terminal as well as new road links that will help boost logistics.

New highway funding for North Dakota projects

March 10, 2015

North Dakota in the US is to benefit from major investment in infrastructure following political progress at state level. In all around US$1.1 billion of fast-track funding will be available for infrastructure investment in the state. Of this around $450 million will be targeted towards state highway projects, so as to boost transportation and connectivity.

Australia: Consortium ready to abandon Melbourne’s East West Link

March 10, 2015

The East West Connect consortium is set to abandon Melbourne’s East West Link contract in return for a payment of between US$400 million and $535 million, according to media reports. But the Victoria state government is challenging the claim by East West Connect whose partners include Lend Lease, Acciona, Capella Capital and Bouygues. Instead, the government wants East West to payback around $153 million which the consortium allegedly received when the toll road contract was signed, reported the Herald Sun