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Uzbekistan is introducing a new road development programme. The majority of the necessary funding for the work is being provided by the World Bank (WB). The financing for the projects is being delivered in the shape of a series of loans worth a total of US$200 million, although the specific terms of deal have not so far been released. In all 394km of roads are being rebuilt under the programme, which is intended to boost transport in the country. Some $240 million is required in all to pay for Uzbekistan’s

Strong interest is being reported in two road project tenders in Brazil. The tenders are being handled by Artesp, the transport agency for Sao Paulo State. So far as many as 140 interested parties have registered for the tenders of two roadway stretches. The first of these tenders will be auctioned on the 22nd February 2017 while the second will be auctioned on the 25th April 2017. These interested parties include at least 30 road operators and 15 banks, and include firms from Europe, Asia and the Middle Ea

Global infrastructure services firm AECOM has secured five contracts with Highways England to deliver highway design services across five separate schemes. The contracts, with a combined worth more of than €29 million to AECOM, are part of Highways England’s Roads Investment Strategy announced in 2014 for maintenance, improvements and upgrades to motorways and major A-class roads. AECOM will delivery of multidisciplinary services for the A38 Derby Junctions scheme in northern England. AECOM has als

A new tunnel project in the Philippines is to be constructed with the help of Japanese funding. The project calls for the building of a new tunnel section connecting the centre of Davao City with its southern tip. Necessary funding for the work is being provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The official development assistance (ODA) loan being provided by the JICA is worth US$232.74 million. The new Davao City bypass construction project in 2015 will be developed using Japanese exper

Work on the construction of the Swat Expressway in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province is now commencing. Financial assistance for the project worth US32.6 million is being provided by Saudi Arabia. In all the project is expected to cost $364.35 million to construct however. The work calls for the building of a 113km highway that features four lanes, boosting transport Connections in Pakistan’s Swat area.

Funding is required to pay for a series of road upgrades in Australia’s Tasmania State. According to the Australian motoring group, Royal Automobile Club of Tasmania (RATC), some US$1.06 billion (S$1.4 billion) is required for the work. RATC has asked the Tasmania State Government to provide the funds necessary for the work. Key projects include replacing the Bridgewater Bridge and upgrading the Midland Highway. These projects will cost $454.3 million (A$600 million) and $302.86 million (A$400 million) resp

The International Road Federation and the Qatar Transportation and Traffic Safety Centre (QTTSC) at Qatar University have partnered to deliver a series of Road Safety Training programmes taking place between now and April 2017 These courses have been carefully selected to reflect the specific traffic safety challenges of Qatar and other fast-motorising nations in the Middle East and North Africa. At the end of the cycle, participants will have an advanced understanding of the different diagnosis tools an

The Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping of the Government of India, Mr Nitin Gadkari has issued a formal letter of support to the 18th IRF World Road Meeting to be held in New Delhi on 14-17 November 2017. Commending the efforts of IRF to further the cause of Road Safety in India and across the world, Mr. Gadkari said, “We, as a nation, are proud to be hosting the WRM 2017, one of the largest events in the infrastructure industry." “Efforts are also underway by my Ministry to hold a mee

The Safer Africa project - funded under the EU Horizon2020 Programme - aims at establishing a Dialogue Platform between Africa and Europe focused on road safety and traffic management issues. It will represent a high-level body with the main objective of providing recommendations to update the African Road Safety Action Plan and the African Road Safety Charter, as well as fostering the adoption of specific initiatives, properly funded. The involvement of development banks will ensure the identification

IRF Geneva held the first in a series of four roundtables on ITS in India in New Delhi, India on the 10th of November 2016. This first, by invitation only, roundtable was attended by representatives from both Government and industry. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Niti Aayog, the premier planning agency of the Government of India, the National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation, and the National Highway Authority of India are supporting these Roundtables. Senior management from l

A project to construct the second Midtown Tunnel link in the US state of Virginia alongside the original connection has taken an important step forward – Mike Woof writes Commuters in the US state of Virginia will be pleased that the new Midtown Tunnel is now open to traffic, as it will help to boost capacity and cut congestion on the busy US 58 route connecting Norfolk and Portsmouth. The 1.13km tunnel link has been built to link with the interchange at Brambleton Avenue and Hampton Boulevard in Norfolk

The International Road Federation recently announced the winners of the 2016 IRF Global Road Achievement Awards at a ceremony held during the 2nd IRF Asia Regional Congress & Exhibition. This year, the IRF honours 12 projects from around the world, each leading the way in innovation across major road & highway disciplines. The selection was made by an international panel of senior road development specialists.

The call for abstracts for the Transport Research Arena TRA 2018 event in Vienna is opening now. The Transport Research Arena TRA conference is a highly important biennial event focussing on European research and technology for transport and mobility. After a decade of successful editions around Europe the 7th TRA will take place in Austria’s capital Vienna from 16th to 19th April 2018. The Call for Papers will remain open until March 21st 2017. Scientists, researchers and engineers are invited to submit th

Moscow is planning a series of projects to upgrade roads in and around the city. The traffic situation in Moscow is notorious with the city regularly suffering serious delays at peak periods, making it one of the 10 worst cities in the world for congestion. In a bid to improve the situation and reduce the jams, the city authorities are embarking on a series of road upgrades, as well as the construction of new urban links. In all some 103km of new roads will be built. There will also be new bridges, tunnels