News

Mumbai will suffer gridlock in the future unless key measures are taken. That is the conclusion of a new report from the International Transport Forum (ITF). The city could see traffic growth of up to 3000% by 2050 compared with vehicle use for 2015. Meanwhile this massive growth in vehicle traffic could also result in a huge jump in vehicle emissions, with CO2 emissions growing 706% over the same period, according to the report. The ITF produced the report on Mumbai’s traffic issues through the Organisa

Argentina is receiving a loans from the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) worth US$300 million for road improvements. The loan will be used to widen and improve roads across the country and is for 25 years with a grace period of 4.5 years. The Argentina Government will provide a further $200 million for road development projects. Planned projects include a new 120km dual carriageway as well as work to a 35.4km section of National Route 19 in Cordoba Province. Meanwhile around half of Salta Province

The German state of Bavaria will invest around €35 million in a road tunnel under the Englischer Garten in Munich. The city of Munich will have to find the rest of the expected €125 million construction cost for the 380m tunnel that will replace a motorway that splits the park. German media reports say that city authorities will look toward some form of private sponsorship for tunnel that would likely be a cut and cover design that would follow closely the current alignment of the highway. Englisch

The name of Istanbul’s new 14.6km tunnel under the Bosphorus Strait will be chosen form on-line poll run by the federal transport ministry. The US$1.25 billion tunnel will officially open this month, around eight months ahead of schedule, according to the state-run news agency Anadolu Agency. Often referred to as the Eurasian Tunnel, it will shorten a 100-minute vehicle journey between the European and Asian sides of the strait to around 15 minutes. The mega project consisting of a railway and two

Construction is starting on a major bridge building programme in Ghana. The project is intended to boost connectivity in the country, with the work being funded partly through a loan provided by the Spanish Government. The new bridge is expected to take nine months to complete and will connect Akwatia with Kusi. Once the bridge is in use it will help cut journey times in the country’s eastern region. The bridge building programme will help improve transport and aid in developing trade and economic developme

Tendering is commencing for the final portion of works to complete Colombia’s La Linea tunnel project. Around 12% of the work on the tunnel still has to be completed, with the work expected to cost US$68.5 million. The tender is being carried out by Colombia's National Road Institute (Invias). The tunnel project has been delayed for a series of reasons. Colombian contractor Constructora Carlos Collins was constructing the tunnel but did not meet the necessary deadline. As a result, Invias opted to open the

A new highway project in Nepal will benefit from a loan provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The loan is worth nearly US$187 million. It will be used to help upgrade the country’s East-West Highway. In addition, the loan will will also be used to improve other key sections of Nepal’s road network. Key stretches of the 45km Bhairahawa-Taulihawa road as well as the 115km Narayanghat-Butwal road will be upgraded. Separate funding from the ADB will pay for technical assistance to Nepal’s Department of

Ritchie Bros is celebrating its 20th anniversary in the United Arab Emirates with a Dubai auction on December 13th and 14th, 2016. Over 1,700 machines and trucks from the Middle East region will go under the hammer at the two-day unreserved auction. Bids can be made in person at the auction site, online at rbauction.com and by proxy. Ritchie Bros has so far held 72 auctions in Dubai, selling over 120,000 lots and registering more than 40,000 bidders in its 20 years of operations in the country. Equipment

Vietnam’s road safety statistics are improving, a major development for the country. Between December the 16th 2015 and November the 15th 2016, there were 19,429 crashes in Vietnam, a drop of 1,426 than from the same period in the previous year. Meanwhile injuries due to road crashes dropped by 1,990 to 17,184 for the period compared with the previous year. Road deaths during this time reached 7,907. Various road safety measures have been introduced by the Vietnam Government in a bid to cut the casualty rat

Alcohol use is linked to an increasing number of road deaths in Costa Rica. A study compiled by Costa Rica’s Institute on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (IAFA) reveals that 30% of the country’s reported road deaths have been caused by alcohol. This is of major concern as the report shows how road deaths caused by alcohol use have increased. Studies carried out in 2004 showed that 26% of road deaths were caused by alcohol. The majority of people killed in road crashes in Costa Rica are aged 20-49. A high num

A new road and viaduct project is planned for Bizerte in Tunisia. The project will be paid for through a loan worth €123 million agreed with the European Investment Bank (EIB). The project includes building a 9.5km road section and a 2km viaduct that will span the entrance to Lake Bizerte. Once the link is in place it will help reduce congestion as well as exhaust pollution close to Bizerte. The existing bridge is no longer able to meet traffic demands but the new structure will feature two lanes in either

Construction work on the Central Section of Russia’s Western High-Speed Diameter (WHSD) in St Petersburg is complete, with some small detail work now being finished off. The WHSD connects the Southern, Central and Northern sections of St Petersburg and will open to traffic at the end of December. VTB Capital was a key participant in funding the construction of the Central Section and is a major shareholder in the consortium that will operate the entire WHSD route.

Modest growth in transport construction is predicted in the US in 2017 by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). According to a report by ARTBA chief economist, Dr Alison Premo Black, total transportation construction and related market activity is expected to grow 1.3% in 2017, driven largely by increases in highway and bridge private construction activity supporting residential and commercial developments. In 2017, the market is expected to reach US$247.8 billion, up from $244

A loan from the China Exim Bank will help pay for a new road project in Kenya. The loan is being offered to Kenya’s Government and is worth US$227.2 million, around 46% of the sum required for the whole 472km road project. The project is being handled in three phases, with this loan being sufficient for the first 192km stretch that will connect Kibwezi with Kitui, running through Mutomo. This first section will be constructed by Chinese contractor Sinohydro. The second stretch of the project will measure 16

Surveying and design work for a new road link in Russia to connect the Black Sea with the Caucasian Mineral Waters will commence in 2017. The new toll road will run between Kislovodsk and Sochi and will halve the distance between the two, currently a distance of 600km. The project is expected to cost in the order of US$1 billion to carry out, with the contract having been organised partly by the Republic of Karachay-Cherkessia (North Caucasus), through which a section of the new route will run.