News

There has been a worrying increase in traffic fatalities in the US, according to the latest available information. The data has been released by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), showing that traffic fatalities for 2015 were 7.7% higher than for 2014. Road deaths reached 35,200 in 2015, compared with 32,675 in 2014. The data reveals a disquieting trend as the US road fatality rate for 2015 was the highest for seven years. While the total distance travelled by US drivers increase

Chinese funding will finance a series of infrastructure projects in Angola. The funding for the projects is being provided by China Credit Line (LCC), with the 15 projects worth a total of US$631 million. Some of the work will be carried out by local contractors while Chinese companies will handle others now that the projects have been awarded by the Angolan Government. One of the largest projects is for the $59.4 million upgrade of a road in Lunda Sul Province, which will be handled by Chinese firm China N

A new publication compiling research on road safety in India has now been compiled. This has been produced by an expert in the field, NS Srinivasan. The book is called, “Planning for the future – Solutions for India’s traffic problems” This publication contains 30 articles published during the past few years on the topic. This book is incorporated in the website and is available for the benefit of technical community. Other books included in the website are: “Taking the high road – Research on transport

Volvo Penta has started production of industrial engines for the power generation market at the Volvo Group’s facility in Curitiba, Brazil. A new production line has been set up at the plant for the Volvo Penta engines, which include the 13litre TAD-1344GE and TAD-1345GE models. Ron Huibers, president of Volvo Penta of the Americas said, “One of Volvo Penta’s ambitions is to improve our global supply chain for our products with competitive lead times, at a competitive cost. By producing these industrial

Contractor FM Conway will carry out major resurfacing works in the UK. The £56 million deal is with East Sussex County Council, operating as specialist surfacing sub-contractor to the Costain CH2M joint venture. This is a seven year deal involving surfacing as well as maintenance and patching work. FM Conway will be using its novel Enviro range of asphalt base and binder products for the road rebuilding work, reducing the quantities of primary aggregates required in the job.

WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff is carrying out the study for the A6 – M6 relief road in the UK, close to the city of Manchester. The study will review various aspects of the project, including the environmental issues. The new link will improve transport connections from the A6 to the Hazel Grove junction on the M60 motorway. It will also improve transport links to the Manchester Airport relief road scheme under construction at present.

Plans are being drawn up for a major new highway project in East Africa. Preparations are being made by the authorities in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The 450km ring road route runs around the shoreline of Lake Victoria and will provide better transport connections for Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, as well as for other near neighbours, particularly Rwanda and Burundi. New border posts will be required, to help increase the flow of traffic between the nations. Although it will be complex, the project will boos

Canada’s provincial British Columbia government has issued a request for qualification for construction of a US$2.7 billion bridge over the Fraser River around the city of Vancouver. The 10-lane bridge will be built under a 30-year public-private partnership agreement and will include tolled transit lanes and related Highway 99 improvements between Bridgeport Road in the adjacent city of Richmond and Highway 91 in the city of Delta. The 60-year-old tunnel now carries its limit of 80,000 vehicles a day an

A budget worth nearly US$473 million will be used for work on the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). This will form a key portion of Pakistan’s Public Sector Development Programme for the 2016/2017 period. The Burhan-Hakla section is expected to require two years to construct and will be 285km long. This stretch will run through Rehmani Khel, Rokhri, Mianwali, Sawan and Pindi Gheb. The DI Khan section stretch of the highway should be complete by mid-2018, while the stretch from Gwadar to Surab should

A researcher based in Canada is carrying out a research project in the form of a survey assessing the safety risk posed by wildlife to drivers. The risk posed by wildlife to those travelling in vehicles can be severe in some areas and evaluating data can be important for assessing risk levels and awareness of risk levels amongst road users. There is the potential for serious injury or even death in the event of crashes with large animals or at high speeds. Meanwhile a driver avoiding an animal in the roadwa

Work is due for completion shortly on Nairobi’s Southern Bypass, with an official inauguration being planned. The 28.6km highway has been constructed by Chinese contractor China Road and Bridge. The project has been required in a bid to tackle Nairobi’s chronic congestion problem. The city suffers heavily from traffic delays at peak periods.

Proposals have been put forward for a new tolled highway running around the US city of Lafayette. The project is expected to cost from US$1 billion to $1.3 billion, depending on which route is selected. One proposed route is 43km long while the other measures nearly 58km. The project’s environmental aspects have yet to be evaluated and will play a major role in selecting the route. The highway would connect from Interstate 49 to Interstate 10 and then with US 90. The aim would be to reduce congestion along

Parsons has won a deal to design and installation of the nation’s first all-lane, dynamic-priced tolling system on a 16km segment of Interstate 66 in Virginia. This stretch of highway runs from Interstate 495, the Capital Beltway, to US Route 29 in Rosslyn, Virginia. Dynamic tolling, able to adjust toll pricing to demand, will operate in the peak travel direction during weekday rush hours. This will help lower traffic congestion into and out of US capital Washington, DC.