Highway & Network Management

A new section of Western High Speed Diameter (WHSD) highway from the Ring Road (KAD) to the Hyundai plant in Kamenka, has been opened to traffic in St Petersburg. The WHSD and KAD interchange will be completed by 2012 when the entire third phase of the highway will be built. The US$7.23 billion WHSD Tollway in the city is sponsored by the Federal Road Agency and it is said to be one of the most important means of solving the city’s transport problems. It is a strategic investment project to develop the ci

The authorities in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu are working fast to widen the Kathmandu Valley road. This key widening project includes take-up of public land along the route of the road as well as some land nearby belonging to government offices. The road widening programme has already seen the demolition of roadside structures in New Baneshwore, Kalimati, Lainchour, the wall of the Social Welfare Council Compound, Nagpokhari, Jay Nepal, Kamaladi and a portion of the Narayanhiti National Museum. It has also r

Israeli firm Solel Boneh is one of the preferred bidders for a toll road project in Montenegro, along with an as yet un-named European company. The tender is worth €1 billion and is for a 30 year concession for a 170km toll road. The project is Montenegro’s first PPP and is also the country’s largest ever infrastructure package. The road will run from Boljare on the Serbian border and the Adriatic Sea port of Bar.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is expressing concern at environmental issues over the new Moscow-St Petersburg tolled highway. The focus is on 14 historic oak trees that will have to be cut down in the Khimki forest to make way for the new highway. As a result the EBRD is considering withdrawing its funding and is currently looking to carry out a deeper examination of the project.

Plans are being worked on intended to improve traffic flow around Belgium’s capital Brussels. The local government for the Flanders Region is considering a number of plans at present. The first would see a 15km tunnel running from Grand-Bigard to Woluwe-Saint-Etinne. The second option is for a second ring road to be construction between Alost, Malines and Louvain, which would leave the current ring road for traffic moving into and out of Brussels.

Efkon is playing an important role in the construction of the €660 million Limerick Tunnel project in Ireland. The project forms part of the country’s Transport 21 Plan, a huge road construction programme while the tunnel is the largest civil engineering work for the Dublin area since 1920.

Cofiroute USA, which automated toll roads in the United States with the 91 Express Lanes in Orange County, California, has launched a new consulting division to work with public agencies, contractors and others in developing plans for new toll roads or converting existing high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes to high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes.

Questions are being asked over the construction of a new section of the A1 autobahn in Germany. The highway stretch is being scrutinised due to surface failures and lies close to the city of Bremen but has been open for less than three months.

Three trees provided by Siemens have been planted in Southampton’s prestigious QE2 mile as part of the carbon offset programme included in the new traffic signals maintenance contract awarded to the company by Southampton City Council. Southampton's traffic signal engineer, Martin Wylie said: “We are working with Siemens on a number of initiatives to reduce the carbon emissions associated with our Intelligent Transport Systems.