News

The World Bank looks likely to supply funding that will help pay for a major road improvement project in Nicaragua. The US$75 million loan should be agreed by November 2016, if all goes to plan. The funding will pay for major improvement works for the road connecting Nicaragua’s capital Managua with the country’s second city, Leon. At present the route suffers heavily from congestion at peak periods and is unsuited to the traffic volumes it has to cope with. The construction work is expected to commence in

Know your limits, especially if that inconsiderate cyclist has got you so enraged that you have jumped out of your car to chase him down the block. You want to teach him a lesson but, like the man in this video, you may end up learning one yourself. You’re too fat. Recognise the chances are slim that you - a car driver who, according to a new study, will be overweight – will catch that svelte bicycle rider. It could end in tragedy with you hitting face-first that urban-grade asphalt, feeling the aggre

The D1 motorway tunnel Korbelka in Slovakia is estimated to now cost €278 million, according to a report in Pravda Slovakia. But the chosen 6km route is a safer option than another route alongside the Vah River that would have taken in a potential landslide area. Because of the slide risk, a further €202 million would be needed to shore up the hillside. More work will have to be done to finalise the route, meaning work would not start until likely 2019, according to the report. Slovakia's Transport

Mexico will set up four road maintenance tenders worth nearly US$827 million in total as public-private partnerships in 2017. Contracts will cover the road projects Piramides-Tulancingo-Puebla, Matehuala-Saltillo, Saltillo-Monterrey-Nuevo Laredo and Texcoco-Zacatepec, according to the El Economista newspaper. The Secretariat of Communications and Transport, which will organise the work, said it has already launched two bidding processes for the maintenance of Coatzacoalcos-Villahermosa and Queretaro-S

Nearly €323 million will be spent by Hungary on road renovation projects in 2017, according to the Ministry of National Development. Tenders will be called by the Hungarian national road management agency Magyar Kozut. In June, a Colas Hungaria-Colas Ut consortium started work on a new stretch of M35 motorway, a deal worth up to €55 million.

Construction work on Serbia’s Ljig-Preljina highway, the Corridor 11 Project, is being delayed. The delay has been caused by complications involving the construction of the tunnel and bridge sections. The construction work is being carried out by the Azerbaijan contractor Azvirt, with local firms carrying out sub-contracting projects. The new route is expected to open around 40 days later than originally expected as a result. Meanwhile the improving political relations between Serbia and its neighbour Ko

Plans are being set out for an important new highway link in the CIS. This new link will connect the M-5 and M-7 highways, close to the city of Ufa and the project is expected to cost US$1.12 billion to carry out. The work will require the construction of a tunnel stretch carrying four traffic lanes, as well as two highway sections and an overpass in the city itself. Ufa is the capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan, which is part of the CIS. The city is linked to Russia’s capital Moscow by the M-7 highwa

The Czech Republic is planning a major programme of road upgrades. This will target secondary roads in the country, improving road surfaces as well as safety features. Some €155.45 million is being provided by the Czech Ministry for Local Development for the work. Much of the funding is being sourced from EU financing, with the programme of road repair and upgrade works scheduled to take place from August 2016 until October 2022.

Delays are afflicting the official opening of a stretch of the East-West highway in Algeria. This 84km section of the highway connects Dréan in the east of Algerian to the border with neighbouring Tunisia. A Japanese contractor was in charge of the project to construct the 400km eastern stretch of the East-West highway. However financial problems surrounding the need for additional work led to construction of the final stretch being curtailed. There is concern that should the work be left unfinished any lon

Dutch construction and related services group Royal BAM posted improved half-year results, despite Britain’s decision to leave the European Union. Half-year results to June showed pre-tax profit to €45 million, up from €4 million the previous year. However, group revenue slipped back €3.4 billion, down from around €3.5 billion. Construction and mechanical & electrical services suffered a €23.8 million loss, blamed on poor trading in Germany. But civil engineering and property helped profitability.

US group Jacobs Engineering has been appointed by Highways England to develop preferred options for multiple highways schemes. The projects are in the east, southeast and northwest regions of England, according to statement by Jacobs. Contract value has not been given. Jacobs senior vice president for buildings and infrastructure, Bob Duff, said that the award “builds on our long established relationship with Highways England”. Highways England is the new government company charged with operating E

The World Bank agreed to finance construction of Kenya’s first double deck highway, according to media reports. Construction is set to begin by the end of this year on the toll road to link Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and the Nairobi-Nakuru highway. Peter Mundinia the director-general of the Kenya National Highways Authority, explained that construction of the all-elevated dual carriageway will be in three phases. The first will begin with 6.5km running from the airport to Likoni Road and the

The Swiss Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) has awarded Poyry detailed engineering planning work for the upgrading of operational and safety equipment in two major tunnels on the A2 motorway. The A2 forms the main north-south motorway in Switzerland, connecting Basel with Chiasso. The Schänzli and Hagnau tunnels have been in operation for four decades and are being completely refurbished. Pöyry has already been handling the structural measures and ventilation systems in the tunnels, said Marcel Winter,

German engine manufacturer Deutz has agreed a key supply deal with Chinese construction machinery manufacturer SANY. The agreement will see SANY fitting its wheeled loaders with the TCD 7.8 diesel engine from Deutz. These engines feature diesel particulate filters and are Stage V ready. Deutz has been supplying diesels to SANY Heavy Machinery for use in other machines for some time. However this latest agreement strengthens the supply deals between the two companies. These engines meet the Tier 4 Final/Stag

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) announces that the speaker line-up now includes Chile’s ministry of energy as well as senior thought leaders in Caterpillar, Cummins, Telogis and Americas Market Intelligence. They’ll join keynote speaker Derek Woodgate of the Futures Lab, who is helping guide development of The Tech Experience at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2017. Equipment manufacturers and contractors, large and small, face uncertain times. With construction markets still sluggish but showing sig