News

Road crashes in Australia are presenting a major problem for the health of the country’s population as well as its economy. According to data from the Australian Government road crashes hit the country’s economy annually to the tune of US$20.36 billion (A$27 billion). In New South Wales road crashes cost an estimated A$7 billion/year while in neighbouring Victoria crashes cost from A3 billion-A$4 billion/year. Around half of the cost of road crashes in New South Wales comes from providing hospital treatment

A loan of €178 million will pay for the Surcin-Obrenovac highway project in Serbia. The loan for the work is being provided by China’s Export-Import Bank. The financing deal has been agreed between the Serbian Government and the Chinese bank. When Chinese sources deliver funding for road projects, a usual stipulation of the agreement is that the main contracting work should be carried out by a Chinese firm. However, the names of the company or companies that will be involved in the road construction have ye

A survey of pedestrians in Thailand has revealed that many are concerned for their safety when crossing the road in the country. According to the research, close to 91% of respondents said that they have concerns for their safety when crossing the road. The poll revealed that motorists will often not slow down or stop when pedestrians are crossing the road. Drink driving is a particular cause for concern according to the poll.

The tender process is opening in Poland for a stretch of highway connecting Napierki with Mlawa. This 14km stretch of the S7 dual carriageway is the first of four sections of the route to be offered for tender. The bidding process for the project is being managed by the Polish General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA). Bids have to be received by the 21st February 2017, with 18 firms having been invited to tender for the work. The total value of the work to construct the four sections of

Greek contractor Terna is now carrying out work on a new 32km stretch of highway in the country. The project is for a stretch of the Imikomvos PATHE-A/K highway, one of several road projects now moving forward in the country. The go ahead for the work has been given by the Greek Infrastructure Ministry. The highway project is costing €300 million in all, while Terna will also carrying out €5.75 million of additional works.

A joint venture comprising Cambridge Systematics and WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff will carry out a major Interstate study for the US. The joint venture partners were selected by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (National Academies). The future interstate study is mandated in Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act of 2015 (FAST Act). The FAST Act calls for the National Academies’ Transportation Research Board (TRB) to conduct “... a study on the actions needed to upgrade a

Road projects in Nepal will benefit from a further US$55 million of funding from the World Bank. The funding will be used for Nepal’s Road Sector Development Project (RSDP). The RSDP calls for a series of works right across the country, including the construction of 33 bridges, maintenance to 355 bridges and 700km of existing roads and a detailed analysis of Nepal’s road network.

A series of major road and bridge projects is now underway in India. One of the most notable is the US$500 million project to build a new bridge spanning the River Ganges, which will be the longest in the country. Financing for the 9.8km bridge has been provided in the shape of a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The new link will be located close to Patna and is spanning both channels of the Ganges at this point and it features a cable-stayed design. The new bridge is required as the original str

Highways in the US state of Illinois will be upgraded during 2017, improving connections to and from Chicago. The budget for the work has been set at US$1.7 billion. Works planned include the north-south I-490 Tollway and building the Illinois Route 390 Tollway. The I-490 route will improve access to O'Hare International Airport, part of a $3.4 billion programme of works upgrading Chicago’s busy airport facility. Another plan in hand in Illinois is for a new HOT lane on the currently congested Eisenhowe

Increases in the numbers of road crashes and road deaths are giving cause for concern in Australia. The gain in the country’s road fatality rate is of note as it comes after a 40 year period in which those killed or seriously injured (KSI) have been reducing. Certain sections of the country’s road network have been identified as being of particular risk to drivers, with moves in hand to improve safety. The Australian Automobile Association has revealed that there were 15,339 crashes in the country that resu

Istanbul’s new Eurasia Tunnel has been opened for traffic, connecting the Asian and European side of the Bosporus strait. The new link will help reduce congestion in Istanbul and should cut travel times to just 15 minutes for drivers using the link. The tunnel runs from Kazlıçeşme on the European side to Göztepe on the Asian side of the Bosporus strait. The new route is 14.5km long, with a 5.4km tunnel stretch lying up to 106m below the Bosporus Strait and features two decks for vehicles and it is expect

Having trouble getting into that Christmas feeling? Too much taking and not enough giving in the world? Well, one extremely skilled excavator operator in the US did hit bit to change all that. He extended a helping hand – in reality a bucket - to a baby deer trapped head-deep in mud on an extremely wet construction site. The operator used his skills to gingerly lift the stricken animal to safety. That wasn’t the end of it. There were, in fact, two deer, and the excavator operator rescued the second

Drivers in the UK are to benefit from the opening of a new dual carriageway connection. The section of road is a key route for Highways England, improving the connection between junction 19 of the M6 and junction 7 of the M56 motorways. The new A556 Knutsford to Bowdon link road will cut congestion and journey times for drivers in the area. As part of the £192 million project to build the new dual carriageway between, Highways England has remodelled slip roads at Yarwood Heath and Bowdon roundabouts. The

New Zealand has plans to rebuild transport infrastructure damaged by the recent earthquake. Road as well as rail links were damaged by the earthquake in Kaikoura and the rebuilding will include measures to provide protection against future such problems, as well as improving safety. The work will cost an estimated US$1.03 billion (NZ$1.4 billion). Another project being planned is the rebuilding of Kaikoura Harbour, which was also damaged by the earthquake.