News

According to the US-based Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), exports of machines from the US remain at a low level. The AEM’s analysis shows that exports of US-made construction equipment were down 24% overall at midyear 2016 compared to the first half of 2015. In all machines worth US$5.65 billion were shipped to global markets.

Caterpillar has announced an alliance with Ritchie Bros, a global industrial auctioneer and equipment distributor, for the Canada-based company to conduct live onsite and online auctions for used Caterpillar equipment.

The organisers of the Gulf Traffic 2016 conference being held in Dubai from November 13th-15th report strong interest in the event. This will be held in the Dubai International Exhibition Centre and according to the organisers, aims to be the region’s leading traffic and transportation event, with a particular focus on smart cities, ITS, parking and infrastructure. The conference provides a yearly platform for innovative thought-leaders to convene in a high-level discussion on the future of traffic in the r

Serbia’s minister of construction and infrastructure, Zorana Mihajlovic, said that the southern part of the Corridor 10 motorway is expected to be completed by the end of 2017. Speaking to the Beta news agency, she also said that work on the Corridor 11 motorway, on the Ub-Lajkovac section, is being carried out in cooperation with Chinese partner company Shang Dong. The government has also signed an agreement for construction of the Surcin-Obrenovac part of the Corridor 11. Ongoing talks between Serbi

A major programme of road development is planned for the Indian states of Bihar, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Odisha and West Bengal. In all some 1,120km of the country’s National Highways will be constructed in these states. This plan for road development forms part of the National Highways Interconnectivity Improvement Project. So far some 429km of these new roads have been completed, with all of the work expected to be finished by mid-2024. The work was initially expected to cost US$773 million but unforeseen e

Balfour Beatty has won a £35 million deal by Perth and Kinross Council to deliver the first phase of the Perth Transport Futures Project. Under the terms of the deal, Balfour Beatty will construct a new grade separated junction on the A9 dual carriageway as well as a new link road enabling access to development land to the west of Perth. This is the first of four phases of the Perth Transport Futures project, which aims to reduce congestion, boost transportation in the area and develop the local economy.

IRF Geneva is proud to support ITS Australia in holding the ITS World Congress in Melbourne. With less than three months to go, the programme is shaping up to deliver above and beyond. It includes several prominent keynote speakers including Jack Dangermond, founder and president of global mapping technology company ESRI, Mr Cole from Cubic Transportation, Jeroen Wiemar, chief executive officer, Public Transport Victoria; Mr Xiaojing Wang, chair, China ITS Industry Alliance; Richard Harris, director, Commu

Turkey’s Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge over the Bosporus is having its official opening, which is being carried out by senior members of the country’s government including president Recep Erdoğan. The final sections of the deck structure were put into place in March 2016 and the project, which commenced in 2013, has been completed in record time. This is the third bridge to span the Bosporus at Turkey’s commercial centre, Istanbul and the new crossing will form part of the country’s North Marmara Highway pro

A major new highway link in Chile is now open to traffic. Sacyr Concesiones opened the 103.4km highway that connects the cities of Concepción and Cabrero. The link is located in Chile’s Bio Bío Region and cost US$360 million to develop, while it is expected to generate some $1.027 billion throughout the length of the concession period. Work to build the highway started in June 2012 and the link is intended to improve connectivity between Concepción and Cholguán in the Bio Bio Region, and will also join w

Construction of a new 10 lane highway is due to start shortly in Qatar and the project is expected to cost in the region of US$2.1 billion to complete. The new Al Khor Expressway project looks set to be built by a Turkish contractor Tefken Holding, following the completion of the tender process. The 34km highway will feature eight intersections, as well as a number of viaducts, overpasses and underpasses. The project also includes the construction of separated facilities for pedestrians and cyclists. The hi

Plans are in hand for road widening work and surfacing upgrades for a key route crossing Zimbabwe. The highway upgrade is being carried out by a joint venture partnership between Chinese firm China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) and Austrian Company Geiger International. This follows agreements being reached between the joint venture partners and the Zimbabwe Government. The work is needed as the existing road links along the route are unable to cope with that current traffic volumes that include a high

Egypt’s high rate of road crashes is having a damaging effect on the country’s economy. According to the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS), road crashes are having a drain on Egypt’s GDP of around US$3.44 billion/year. This is resulting in a major financial impact on Egypt’s economy that the country can ill afford. Worryingly, the impact of road crashes on Egypt’s economy is expected to climb to around $3.5 billion/year by 2020. On a positive note however, the number of car cras