News

Road projects in Brazil could see extended deadlines. This move follows on from the impeachment of the former president. Several roads were privatised under the previous administration, with widening and general upgrade works having been required as integral components of the concession packages. The agreements settled with the former administration called for the road widening and improvement works to be carried out in a five year period. But these five year deadlines may be amended once comprehensive revi

Global Trafic Technologies (GTT) has been contracted by the US city of West Bend in Wisconsin state to upgrade its traffic pre-emption solution to Opticom. Optimcom works alongside intersection controllers to help emergency vehicles navigate intersections rapidly but safely. When an emergency vehicle needs to navigate an intersection, the Opticom Emergency Vehicle Pre-emption system on board the emergency vehicle sends a request to the intersection’s controller ahead of its arrival. The request tur

A new four lane road and tunnel connection is to be built in the Sri Lankan city of Kandy. The tunnel section will measure a total of 4.4km while the project also includes 1.2km of connecting roads. The project is costing over US$252 million to construct of which just over $199 million will be supplied by the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) from South Korea.

Work on two major highway projects are now commencing in Kenya. One project will improve the road connection between Kenya’s capital Nairobi, with its premier port of Mombasa. The other project will see the upgrade of the road link joining Kenya with neighbouring Uganda. Work on the Mombasa to Nairobi highway is starting on a 42km stretch between Mombasa and Marikani. This work is costing some US$213.4 million and the improved route will feature two lanes in either direction when the work is complete. Meanw

In an opinion piece published by the IRF, Matthew Jordan-Tank, head of infrastructure policy and IPPF, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has explained that extending the functional life of road assets can be achieved using performance-based contracts. In most developing and merging market economies, roads require rehabilitation, or even reconstruction, many years prior to the expected date. Simply put: usable life is not equal to design life, and it is not uncommon to find that a ro

Work on a major Autobahn widening project is set to commence in Germany shortly. The projects calls for the widening of the A6 Autobahn. The project is worth some €1.3 billion. Widening work is already being carried out on A6 between Wiesloch and Weinsberg. The upgrade work involves widening the Autobahn to six lanes and is due for completion in the second quarter of 2019.

Work is commencing ion a major new highway project in Côte d'Ivoire.

An important bridge link is opening in the Russian city of St Petersburg shortly. The Yakhtenny Bridge over the Bolshaya Nevka River in St Petersburg will open to traffic on 1st June 2017. The bridge is undergoing testing once the asphalt surface, guardrails and lighting work has been completed. The bridge is being built by contractor Pylon at a cost of some US$33 million. The new bridge will provide a link from the city’s Primorsky district to the new stadium on Krestovsky Island under construction for the

Plans are in hand to construct a bridge spanning the Soai Rap River. The project has been given official approval from the Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) People's Committee. The project for the new Can Gio Bridge is expected to cost close to US$352 million. The 3.4km bridge will carry four lanes of traffic and will connect Can Gio district with the inner part of HCMC. Can Gio Urban Tourism, and Trung Nam Construction Investment jointly worked on the plans for the bridge.

Fluor Corporation is to handle a contract in Texas for the construction of the Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) US 287 Project in Ellis County. The site is located to the south of Dallas and Fluor will book the undisclosed contract value in the first quarter of 2017. “This is a significant strategic milestone for Fluor and will not only help us firmly establish our position in the bid-build market, but also help us to expand our market offering beyond the traditional design-build and private

Road markings specialist Evonik is opening its road safety awards for entries. The firm was a pioneer of MMA cold plastic road markings and established its awards system last year in a bid to help improve road safety and disseminate best practices. Following the successful introduction of these awards last year, Evonik will again elect and award a public authority for its efforts in improving road safety. The winner of this award will be selected by an independent jury consisting of international road safet

Preparations for the 18th edition of the IRF World Road Meeting are advancing and it is predicted to be a memorable event in terms of the technical programme, its participants and the exhibition itself. With papers being presented from all over the world covering ten thematic topics, daily innovation cafés, a remarkable line-up of keynote speakers and many business and networking opportunities, this is a must-attend conference and exhibition for the transport and mobility sector. Exclusive attention will b

The race track used for the Malaysian Grand Prix has benefited from a repaving of its surface. This has helped boost the quality of the surface, making it smoother as well as providing more grip and also allowing it to drain more effectively during periods of heavy rainfall. A key component of the work has been the use of the Shell Cariphalte Racetrack material. This is a special high performance version of bitumen specifically developed for use on racing circuits. The 5.543 km track was resurfaced prior

An 8.6km elevated highway project has been proposed for Manila, the capital of the Philippines. SM Investments and Ayala jointly submitted a proposal to build the Circumferential Road 3 (C3) Expressway to the Department of Public Works and Highways. The elevated highway being proposed would have four-lanes and measure 8.6km –long. The planned route would link Sta Mesa in Manila with the SM Mall of Asia complex in Pasay City. It would also pass through the Makati central business district and feature five in

Plans are in hand for a new toll road project called Roe 8 in Western Australia (WA). However the WA State Government is at present renegotiating the contract for the project. This package had been awarded by the previous WA State Government to a consortium. The tender was worth close to US$336 million and was to be handled by a consortium comprising CPB Contractors, BG&E, AECOM, GHD, WA Limestone, and Georgiou. This project team was to build the first stage of the Roe 8 Perth Freight Link toll road project