News

Plans are in hand in Malaysia to build a new highway costing US$1.06 billion. The route will run from Jelapang-Selama-Batu Kawan and the proposal has been put forward by Beta Mutiara. The three-lane highway will stretch for 116km between Jelapang, Perak and Batu Kawan, Penang. Should the work get the go ahead the project would be carried out by Beta Mutiara subsidiary BMT Jelas.

State-owned Indonesian toll road firm Jasa Marga plans to increase its network by 460km by 2018. This will bring its total network to 1,050km by 2018. During 2016, Jasa Marga intends to spend US1 billion developing its toll road network and general operations. By 2018, the Trans Java toll road should be open to traffic.

Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) is warning road users to avoid driving at night in response to a series of major crashes causing multiple fatalities. The country’s roads are said to be dangerous to use at night according to the FRSC, due to a combination of inadequate markings and poor condition.

Data from Kenya’s National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) shows that there is a particular risk of serious crashes on the capital’s bypasses. In the 11 month period from January-November, 1/7th of Nairobi’s road fatalities were on the three new bypass routes. There were 50 fatalities in 2014 on the three bypasses and for the January to November 2015 period, there have been 133 deaths. Pedestrians are at most risk, accounting for 60% of fatalities, with motorcyclists and car drivers accounting for 7%

New legislation is being implemented in Taiwan that may delay highway construction until February 2016. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications aims to reduce inconvenience to the public, while the ministry has gradually realised the importance of road surface quality.

The Norwegian Government has unveiled its preferred solution for Hordaland road and railway route. This will be the so-called K5 alternative for the future E16 highway and Bergensbanen railway. The transport connections will run through the county of Hordaland in western Norway. This alternative will offer shorter distances, increased capacity and improved security. Journey time between Bergen and Voss will be reduced to 46 minutes from 72 minutes by car, and to 24 minutes from 63 minutes by train. The N

Two key highways in India’s Andhra Pradesh State are to be widened and upgraded. The projects are being handled by the Stage Government of Andhra Pradesh. The work to upgrade the Ibrahimpatnam-Tiruvuru highway to four lanes will cost US$219.63 million. The work to upgrade the Machilipatnam-Vijayawada highway into four lanes will cost $77.22 million. In addition, a flyover will be built as part of the Vijayawada highway expansion. An additional $67.15 million will be spent on buying land and building a flyov

Plans are being made in Cambodia for a new tolled highway connecting Phnom Penh with the Vietnamese border at Bavet. The route for the highway is being planned by Cambodia’s Ministry of Public Works and Transport. Input for the project is being provided by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The new highway will cut travel time between Phnom Penh and Bavet to two hours, compared with up to five hours using the current road. The project will cost US$2.5 band should be completed in 2033. The

Research published by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) reinstates past reports that young drivers continue to represent the biggest road safety challenge in terms of crash risk. Meanwhile older drivers are characterised in as being more cautious and able to adapt their driving styles in response to reduced driving-related capabilities. This process is referred to as “self-regulation”. However, whilst collision rates of older drivers may generally be low, the analyses of injury statistics in Great Bri

Five road projects in India will benefit from funding provided by loans from Japan. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is to provide loans worth a total of US$738.65 million to fund five road projects. These will form part of the North East Connectivity project, which has been planned by the Indian Government. The work includes upgrade works to the northeast road network, while the Indian Government has also dedicated a portion of the funds to upgrade the Aizwal-Tuipand, NH-51, and NH-54 road

A consortium will carry out a major bypass project in Slovakia’s capital Bratislava. The consortium comprises Spanish construction firm Cintra, as well as Australian companies Macquarie and Porr. The partners will build part of Bratislava's (Slovakia) ring road. The contract also includes a 30 year management period for a 27km stretch on the D4 motorway and a further 32km stretch on the R7 motorway. The contract will be formalised once all the documentation is verified by the Slovakian Government. The proje

According to a report from Italian equipment exhibition firm SaMoTer, sales of earth moving machinery market can expect to recover in 2016. This improvement will be seen globally, with sales for 2017 expected to be 17% higher than for 2015. There will also be an increase in machine sales in Italy over the next two years. This will be a major improvement for the business, which has struggled since the market collapse of 2007 when sales dropped by 72%. Earthmoving machine sales for Italy in 2017 could be arou

Traffic congestion is seeing an increase in the Netherlands as the economy improves, according to the mobility institute Kennisinstituut voor Mobiliteitsbeleid. The congestion is expected to increase the travel time by 45% by the end of 2020. In total the congestion is expected to increase by 20% in 2015 compared with 2014.

Strong interest has been reported in a major highway project in India. PNC Infratech, Sadbhav Infrastructure, Ashoka Buildcon, and APCO Infratech have all been bidding to win the Meerut-Bulandshahr highway project. This is worth some US$105 million and involves the construction of a 62km highway link. The project will be carried out under the hybrid annuity model (HAM), with the builder and Indian Government splitting the construction cost 60:40. Under the HAM model, the Indian Government also has plans for