News

Plans are moving forward for a new highway that will link Kosovo’s capital Pristina with Belgrade, the capital of neighbouring Serbia. The project is of importance as it reveals the continued improvement in diplomatic relations between Serbia and Kosovo. Serbia’s Ministry of Construction says that work on the route will commence in the first half 2017. The financing model for the project has yet to be established. Talks are being held with European partners. The cost of the project has not yet been revealed

The Moroccan Ministry of Equipment, Transport and Logistics is opening the bidding process for a series of highway projects. This first round of bidding will be for the prior assessment of the construction and operation of highways that will be put to out to contract under public-private partnership (PPP) model. In all, some 618km of highways are planned, along seven different routes.

Market research carried out in the UAE reveals that residents of the country are concerned about poor driving. The survey was carried out by market research firm Yougov. Of the 1,003 UAE residents who responded, 79% said they had seen distracted driving on the country’s roads in the last six months. Meanwhile 67% said they had seen speeding while 64% said they had seen road users tailgating. However 79% of respondents said that road conditions have improved in the last six months. Some 56% of respondents sa

Costa Rica’s Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT) is looking to secure financing for the second phase of its PRVC cantonal road programme. MOPT is hoping to secure the necessary funding from the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB). A loan of US$140 million will be required. The first phase of the project was funded by a $60 million loan from the IADB. This first phase includes the construction of new roads in Mora, Santa Ana, San Mateo, Turrubarres and Zarcero. MOPT hopes to receive funds for th

Vietnam’s Government is setting out plans for a major programme of road and bridge work. The programme calls for a series of road maintenance works as well as bridge building projects. Maintenance will be carried out on 61km of road spanning more than 61km while upgrades will be carried out to 676km of roads. The links being improved include roads in Soc Trang, An Giang, Hai Duong, Ninh Binh, Ha Tinh, Nghe An, Lau Chau and Ha Giang provinces.

A massive tunnel project is set to commence in Malaysia shortly. This impressive project includes the construction of three expressways and an undersea tunnel and is intended to link Penang island to the mainland. The work is set to commence on the 15th June 2016, with the first stage being the construction of the Air Itam-Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway bypass. The main contractor for the project is Consortium Zenith BUCG (CZBUCG) and its partner for the undersea tunnel is China Railway Construction. The pr

An interactive US map featuring the latest state news and information on transportation funding issues is now online. This has been set up by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). The redesigned Transportation Investment Advocacy Centre (TIAC) website is an upgrade of the site originally launched in 2014 by ARTBA. The new TIAC—www.transportationinvestment.org—is a first-of-its-kind, dynamic online education program aimed at helping private citizens, elected officials, organisation

IRF is pleased to be supporting this year the Bridges and Highways Bahrain & Saudi Arabia Conference 2016 in Manama. This conference will bring together government officials, project owners, contractors, consultants, equipment suppliers and technology providers to discuss ongoing and upcoming road infrastructure projects. The conference aims to help both Kingdoms develop and maintain their road infrastructure projects by implementing state-of-the-art technologies and solutions. For more information and

IRF Geneva will host its Board and General Assembly meeting during Intertraffic in Amsterdam from 5 – 8 April. The team from IRF Geneva will be on hand throughout Intertraffic to greet members and non-members alike, and bring them up to date regarding the comprehensive range of current activities and actions coordinated by the Secretariat – including several exciting new initiatives.

A series of key highway projects are underway in Morocco, with others now being planned. The Moroccan Government is calling for a study for the construction of seven stretches of highway. The winner of the tender for a consultancy will be announced on 22nd March 2016. The seven projects will be public-private partnerships, and include a road connecting Nador with the Fez-Oudja highway, a connection to the Nador West Med port, a stretch connecting Tangier and Tétouan, and a stretch connecting the Fez-Meknès

The authorities in the Chinese city of Changsha have announced plans for transportation developments worth US$13.87 billion. This programme will form a key component of the 13th Five-Year Plan period from 2016-2020. The plans will see the construction of 6,111km of rural roads, upgrades or expansion works to 2,232km of trunk routes and building 127.3km expressways. The city is also planning to buy a further 647 electric buses during 2016, in addition to the 453 it already has in its fleet. Changsha also pl

Argentina’s Government has plans to upgrade Route 5, Route 7 and Route 8 into highways. The work will cost US$647.2 million and the first sections are already being completed. Around 210km of Route 7 will be upgraded to a highway while a 165km stretch of Route 8 will be upgraded to a highway. The work on Route 8 will reach Solis in 2017 and Pergamino in 2019, while Route 5 will be turned into a highway between Lujan and Bragado, with the work due for completion in 2019.

Transport operators, manufacturers and researchers will be honoured at the International Transport Forum Awards in the presence of transport ministers from around the world at the ITF’s Annual Summit on 18-20 May in Leipzig, Germany. The ITF will award prizes in three categories: Transport Achievement Award: Recognises a demonstrated achievement of excellence in transport provision.

The European Commission has approved around €100 million for the construction of a bridge over the River Danube between the Hungarian town of Komarom and Komarno in Slovakia. Towards the estimated €117 million for the project, Hungary will get €52.5 million and Slovakia will receive €47.6 million under the EU's Connecting Europe Facility. Construction will start by the end of this year. The project was delayed temporarily by changes to procurement rules in Hungary. The bridge is expected to be complet

Work on a new road tunnel is commencing in Shanghai with the project intended to help reduce the city’s chronic traffic congestion problem. The new tunnel route runs under the Middle Ring Road on Tianlin Road in Shanghai City. This 1km tunnel will feature five lanes and provide a new connection between Guiping Road and Gumei Road, with the work is due for completion by 2017. The new tunnel stretch is intended to lower the traffic congestion in the city’s Caohejing district. A novel feature of the tunnel is