Maintenance

Swedish roads are suffering the impact of climate change. The Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) is taking steps to address the problem. Roads will have to be upgraded or moved so as to make them more resilient and to prevent future damage. A survey is underway to identify the most vulnerable portions of the network so that these can be prioritised for upgrade work. Research shows that weather patterns have changed and that there is more risk from heavy rains in summer and autumn periods that c

Swedish roads are suffering the impact of climate change. The Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) is taking steps to address the problem. Roads will have to be upgraded or moved so as to make them more resilient and to prevent future damage. A survey is underway to identify the most vulnerable portions of the network so that these can be prioritised for upgrade work. Research shows that weather patterns have changed and that there is more risk from heavy rains in summer and autumn periods that c

The concession package for a key road link in Ecuador has been awarded to the contractor Verdu. The firm has a 20-year concession for the 162km road link connecting Guayaquil with Salinas. The arrangement is being handled under the PPP model and is requiring an initial investment of US$72 million. A further sum of $232 million will be required to maintain and upgrade the link.

In the UK, the contractor Kier Group has secured two three-year extensions to it deals with Highways England. These are for the Areas 3 and 9 contracts and are worth a total of £250 million/year. The contracts relate to providing highway maintenance services, repairs to defects, emergency incident response services and severe weather services on the Highways England road network. The Area 3 package covers major roads in Hampshire, Berkshire, parts of Surrey, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Dorset. Kier