News

Qatar's Public Works Authority is opening the tender process for two key infrastructure projects, with a major focus on highway construction. These tenders include the F-Ring Road project.

Thailand is working on plans for the southern landbridge project. This huge project has faced delays due in part to finance issues as it is expected to cost some US$21.1 billion.

Taiwan has seen an improvement in its road safety standards with fatalities dropping to 2,016 in 2009. This compares favourably with the 2,150 fatalities on the nation's roads in 2008.

Laos is working on a five-year development plan to provide new international connections through new highways and rail links to its neighbours.

Ecuador is receiving a loan worth US$255 million from the Andean Development Corporation (CAF) for infrastructure works. The country has a long list of road projects to invest in, as well as airport works in Santa Rosa, Lago Agrio and Tena.

The group formerly known as the Foundation for Pavement Preservation has been relaunched as FP2 Inc. The US based group focuses on four major areas: advocacy, research, promotion and activities, which it says provides users essential tools necessary to highlight the importance of pavement preservation for the country's US$1.75 trillion highway system.

China's Ministry for Transport reveals that it beat its target for upgrading rural roads during 2009. Some 381,000km of rural roads were improved, beating the target of 300,000km by a considerable margin.

Honduras is likely to require some US$528 million just to restart road construction projects across the country. This cost estimate has been established by the Construction Chamber in Honduras (CHICO, which has also noted that construction activity in the country contracted by 36% in 2009.

The contractors Arabian Electrical Equipment Company and Mohamad Al-Ali Al-Suwailem Company are to build a combined road and power substation project in Saudi Arabia's Al-Kharj Industrial City.