News

Further delays to completion look a possibility for Colombia’s La Linea Tunnel project. A strike by truck drivers meant that supplies of construction materials were halted, adding to previous delays. The country’s National Road Institute (Invias) has stated that work on the tunnel does not look likely to be finished until the first quarter of 2017. The project will only be completed before that date if faster progress can be achieved with the electro-mechanical works currently in hand. Invias has previously

A crane collapsed over the Tappan Zee Bridge in the US on July 19th. Construction work is being carried out on the bridge. The structure is located in Tarrytown, New York State and the bridge is around 40km north of central Manhattan, spanning the Hudson River at one of its widest points. The crane was being used for the construction work and collapsed right across the roadway and in front of vehicles using the crossing. A number of vehicles were damaged in the incident and local news reports suggest up to

Romania’s road building programme is moving forward, but perhaps more slowly than the country’s National Company for Highways and Roads (CNADNR) would prefer. At present a total of 733km of highways are open to use in Romania, but new sections measuring up to 260km in all should be ready for traffic by the end of 2017. A further 22km of the A1 highway connecting Orastie with Sibiu is expected to open in the third quarter of 2016. The Deva to Lugoj stretch of the A1 has also to be completed, while a section

A series of major road projects will be carried out by Portuguese contractor Mota Engil in Angola and Brazil. In all the work is worth in excess of US$419 million. The company is building a 10km section of the Via Expressa around capital Luanda, as well as upgrading another key route in the city. Luanda’s population has grown significantly in recent years and many existing roads are now proving unable to cope with demand.

Delays in buying properties in Detroit, Michigan, could hold up construction of the proposed 3.2km Gordie Howe International Bridge that will link the US city to Windsor in Canada. A report by the Detroit Free press said that around 30 of the estimated 900 parcels of land in the city’s Delray district could pose potential problems if owners resist selling the sites to the bridge’s developers. The newspaper noted that Dwight Duncan, interim chair of the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority - the Canadian e

Preliminary utilities work is set to begin in September on the last section a ring road around the Canadian city of Calgary. The Calgary Herald newspaper quoted the Alberta provincial infrastructure and transportation minister Brian Mason saying that the project is on schedule. He said “everything is going as planned … It’s important that we keep on top of this and it’s important that we keep it moving forward and so far we’re doing just that.” The public-private-partnership project for the southwest

National Bank Financial and Axium Infrastructure have refinanced the Sea-to-Sky Highway Improvement Project in the Canadian province of British Columbia. A statement from Axium said that the US$427 million 25-year public-private-partnership had “strong investor support and an A2 rating from Moody’s”. The Sea-to-Sky Highway Investment Limited Partnership - Axium Infrastructure, Régime de Rentes du Mouvement Desjardins and Nova Scotia Pension Agency - is the consortium in charge of the concession. In

An Italian roads company will handle the programme for a major road construction and management project in Iran. Anas International Enterprise (AIE), a subsidiary of Italian state-owned firm Anas, is in charge of the work. This contract is for the construction and management of 1,200km of motorways in Iran. The package of works was awarded by the Iranian Ministry of Roads & Urban Development, with a projected cost of US$3.98 billion in all to construct all the routes required. A feasibility study is planned

Volvo CE has appointed a new president to handle its Americas Sales Region. Stephen Roy will take over in the role from September 1st 2016. Roy previously held senior management positions in Volvo Financial Services and the Volvo Group’s North American commercial truck operations. He will be responsible for meeting the diverse needs of customers in North America and Latin America, strengthening Volvo CE’s market position in the region and boosting profitability.

Foreign funding will help pay for key road rebuilding work in Rwanda. Loans worth US$162.4 million are being provided by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), with a $22 million development grant also coming from the EU. These financial sources will help pay for work to improve the 92km long link connecting Kayonza with Rusumo as well as the 116km road between Kagitumba and Kayonza. These road links are of importance as they help connect Rwanda to its nei

The opening of a new road link in Nicaragua will reduce journey times between capital Managua and El Guasaule, which lies on the border with Honduras. The road connects La Paz Centro, Malpaisillo and Villa 15 de Julio. Heavy vehicles previously had to take a more circuitous route that was also longer, so the new road will help cut transport costs. Funding for the project was provided by the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB). This new road is one of a series of projects Nicaragua’s Ministry of Transpo

CEMEX has played a key role in a highway construction job in Egypt. The company has supplied 130,000m3 of concrete that has been used for the construction of the new Cairo–Suez highway project. The project is of note as this is Egypt’s first concrete highway and if it proves successful, more are likely to be built using this construction method. The 35km road is of major importance to Egypt also as it connects the capital, Cairo, with the seaport city of Suez, two of the nation’s most important economic cen