Concrete highway construction techniques and technology continues to evolve. Mike Woof reports The recent increases in oil costs are having a knock-on effect for the road construction sector, as asphalt prices have increased noticeably and faster than those for concrete. This has spurred renewed discussion over which construction technique now offers the best long term solution for road building. The debate between those in favour of concrete and those preferring asphalt for highway construction has been on
MAN has introduced a new design of hypoid tandem axle for payload-sensitive transport tasks, such as cement haulage.
Shown on its TGS truck mixer chassis, the new axle design weighs in at approximately 280kg lighter than a conventional planetary axle, equating to greater payload potential. The four-axle MAN TGS 32.400 8x4 BB is specially designed for this purpose – it uses a weight optimised frame made of high-strength steel, a 298kW engine combined with the MAN TipMatic automated gearbox, and aluminium
Switzerland will soon tender for companies to build and supply a mobile system for physically shifting traffic away from road crews – the Astra Bridge concept.
The federal highways agency - FEDRO - will be asking general contractors to submit bids starting this summer for the Astra Bridge system, according to the agency.
The system, to be used on motorways, includes ramp sections at each end of what amounts to a train of elevated connected road sections. Vehicles run onto the top of the train which is
TOPCON CLAIMS that its GLS- 1500 laser scanner speeds point cloud collection. This unit is 10 times faster than previous units and collects up to 30,000 points/second, reducing the amount of equipment needed in the field. The GLS-1500 offers a range of up to 330m and is designed for quick setup to save time and improve productivity.
