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An increase in road fatalities and serious injuries has been recorded for 2015. This has become clear following the publication of the European Commission’s 2015 provisional road safety figures. The data reveals an increase in fatalities compared to the previous year. And even in 2014, there was only a 0.6% reduction, and it had been the first year for some time without a significant drop in deaths and injuries. This stagnation means that the EU is further away from its goal of halving road deaths by 2020.

A flyover has collapsed in the Indian city of Kolkata. Reports from the local press suggest 14 fatalities and upwards of 150 people being trapped in the wreckage. The Times of India reports that the flyover was under construction at the time of its collapse and the reason for the structural failure has yet to be determined. The flyover is located in a densely populated area in the north of the city and the death toll looks likely to climb.

A new tolled bridge link is planned to connect the US states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The structure will carry traffic on Interstate 95 and span the Delaware River. Construction work for the new bridge is expected to begin next year and take four years to complete, with the new tolled link is expected to open to traffic during 2019. The new crossing will replace the ageing Scudder’s Falls Bridge and this wider and safer structure is expected to cost around US$334 million. The toll charges have yet to

A shortage of funds could affects Brazil's road infrastructure plans. The country’s national department of transport infrastructure, Dnit, may have to halt activities in 2016 due to a lack of funds. Dnit manages the maintenance of existing roads in Brazil but has already had to suspend road paving and expansion works throughout the country due to a lack of finances. Unless further funds are found, Dnit will only be able to finance projects until August 2016. Dnit saw its budget for 2016 set at US$1.76 billi

Construction of a major 47km highway and sea protection dike development in Manila has been thrown into doubt after no bids were received for the US$2.65 billion contract. Philippines media report that the Department of Public Works and Highways declared the auction for the six-lane Laguna Expressway Dike Project a failure after the three pre-qualified bidders didn’t submit bids. The pre-qualified consortia were Trident Infrastructure and Development consortium – consisting of SM Prime Holdings, Megaw

Taiwan’s Ministry of Transportation and Communications says that work on the Suhua Highway improvement project should go ahead as planned. The construction work on the project is expected to be carried out from 2017 to 2019. The revamped highway will improve connections between Hualien county and Yilan county. The construction work is costing in the region of US$1.51 billion to carry out.

Crashes present a large financial drain on Saudi Arabia’s GDP. The country’s high crash rate is reported to cost the country as much as US$5.33 billion/year, according to Arab News. Careless driving and tailgating are primary causes of crashes in Saudi Arabia, as well as eating, using mobile phone and speeding. The report says that around 40,000 injuries/year are caused by crashes. Worryingly, 80% of those with registered physical handicaps are as a result of crashes according to official figures while 30%

If this video is anything to go by, then motor grader operators are a breed apart. What makes the drivers in these video vignettes believe that their machine can, and should, do what are asked of them? For some drivers, it’s a simple case of a balancing act. For other drivers, it is likely a case of ‘get me out of here’, not knowing how they got into such a mess in the first place. So if you are a motor grader operator, don’t try these stunts at home. And if you wish to keep your job, don’t try them on n

Pedestrians are coming to sticky end as they attempt to cross a freshly paved road in this video, shot in Russia. It may have happened in Russia, but it could happen in any country on any construction site if sufficient barricades are not put up. What is notable about this video is that people insist on crossing the road even though they see people ahead of them losing their shoes in the freshly laid bitumen. Also, note that no construction workers are coming to their rescue.

Some people should just never buy a so-called ‘supercar’ because they simply can’t – or won’t - control it on the road. As this video shows, money is no indicator of brains, let alone driving ability. Whether it’s a Ferrari or a Rolls Royce, they all crumple as if they were a lowly family sedan. It just costs a little more to put expensive vehicles back together again, if at all physically possible. And some of these examples in the video will never be back on the road. Neither should their driver

Overloading a vehicle can be dangerous. However, whether it’s a load of bricks or a pile of hay, this video shows that it can also be amusing, heart-warming and just downright fun – as long as no one gets hurt. The pictures also show that there is likely a very good economic reason in some cultures to get the most out of any logistics operation. Banana, anyone?

Construction workers around the world have a good sense of humour, to which this video attests. Granted, to show their sense of humour, they may fudge health and safety rules from time to time. But no one can say they aren’t creative as they strive to make a person laugh. Who else would take a siesta underneath a precariously elevated and balanced excavator, or use an excavator bucket as a bath? Surly no one else would create a paintjob for a mining dump truck to rival the artistic work on dragster cars.

After a sluggish performance over the past couple of years, Poland’s construction is recovering strongly, according to a new report by Timetric’s Construction Intelligence Centre. Construction activity in Poland was weak during the report’s review period, 2011–2015, because of a deteriorating business environment, weak economic conditions, currency depreciation and a lack of foreign capital investment. The report, ‘Construction in Poland – Key Trends and Opportunities to 2020’, noted that the construction s

High capacity safety rope installed on Bolivian toll roads, image courtesy of World Highways reader Giacomo Goretti