News

The latest financial results for Wacker Neuson reveal strong demand for compact construction machines. The firm has reported revenue in excess of €1 billion for the first nine months of 2015. This marks an increase in business activity compared to the same period last year and a record high for the group. In light of the downturn in key markets in the third quarter, the company revised its forecast for 2015 downwards. However, it still expects to achieve record revenue business levels for 2015.

A US$110 million contract to upgrade the UAE’s Airport Road connection has been awarded by the Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). The project includes the construction of tunnels at Rashidiya, bridges and Airport Road Interchange with each of Nad Al Hamar Street, Marrakech Street and Casablanca Street. In addition, the project will include the construction of a service road featuring three lanes and improvements to a number of intersections. The upgrades to the route will boost capacity and cut co

Work on Indonesia’s massive Trans Kalimantan road link will commence in 2016. The planned route stretches for some 7,600km and the project will be started by the Indonesian Government. The budget for the project is still unclear. The cost of the project was estimated in 2014 at US$496.74 million. More roads will be upgraded in 2016 because many of the country’s provincial and district roads will now feature national road status and will be managed by the central government. Another important project is for

In the Netherlands plans are in hand to improve the transport connections to the Port of Rotterdam. The Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment has reached an agreement with the province of Gelderland about connecting the A15 highway to the A12 highway. This will boost the highway links between the port and Germany, a key issue for improving international transportation connections. The total cost of the project will be around €840 million of some €400 million will come from the province of Gelderl

Work will commence shortly on Uruguay’s first PPP highway project. The construction and concession is being handled by a consortium comprising key contractors. The Uruguayan Ministry of Transport and Public Works awarded the project to a consortium made up of Sacyr Concesiones (43%), Sacyr Construcción (8%) and Grinor (49%). The project involves the building, restoration and management of a 179km corridor connecting the cities of Nueva Palmira and Mercedes.

In Sweden crash testing has been carried out using motorcycles for the first time. Four crash tests were carried out at the VTI crash laboratory in Linköping, Sweden, for the client, the insurance company Folksam. As a result, Swedish motorcyclists can expect safer barriers according to VTI, the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Insitute. The VTI have participated in two different projects with focus on better safety for motorcyclists. The first project was run in cooperation with the Swedish Mo

A huge development of roads is expected in India. The Indian Government has plans to spend around US$15.29 billion on building 10,000km of roads in the North-East of the country. A significant portion, around $3.73 billion, will be used on roads development in Arunachal Pradesh. One key project now commencing is for the widening of the Akola-Murtizaur segment of National Highway 6. The $7.46 billion project is expected to be complete by 2020.

Highways planning in England is at a historic turning point. That is the message that former transport minister Steve Norris will be bringing to the HighwaysUK conference at ExCel London, 25-26 November. Norris speaks from a position of some experience having worked at the highest levels in both the public and private transport sectors. He is in no doubt that the recent shake up that has transformed the Highways Agency into Highways England is the start of a new era. He said, “It’s not just a badge chang

All round visibility from the operator’s seat of a construction machine is a topic in focus at the EU Commission. This has been a topic of concern for the construction machinery sector ever since the EU Commission released a warning relating to the standard. This standard has provisions covering visibility requirements for earth-moving machinery. A position paper is intended to help clarify the situation.

Spanish environmental services, infrastructure and water group FCC has secured a €392 deal to design, build, operate and maintain the 10km Toyo Tunnel in Urabá Port, Colombia. The Government of Antioquia awarded the project to the consortium in which Madrid-based FCC has a 40% share and a group of local business people hold 60%. The tunnel is around 80km from Medellin, the capital of Colombia’s mountainous Antioquia province. The US$426 million contract is for 10 years, during which design and constru

Plans are moving forward in Myanmar for the construction of a new highway link. A consortium made up of Halla Corp and Lotte E&C of South Korea and Capital Diamond Star Group (CDSG) of Myanmar is offering a proposal to build a 20.5km highway. This four-lane highway would connect Yangon and Bago and be constructed on a public-private-partnership basis. Drivers would have to pay a toll charge of US$1 each at three toll collection points. Phase I of the Yangon Urban Expressway project will cost US$620 million

France and Côte d'Ivoire have signed a financing deal worth US$206.46 million (€190 million) for the refurbishment of roads. This will form part of the French development aid programme. The funding will be directed towards rebuilding the Bouaké-Ferkéssédougou road and the Félix Houphouët-Boigny bridge in Abidjan. Under the terms of the debt restructuring programme the countries have agreed, France will receive money from Côte d'Ivoire and will then lend an equivalent amount.

Algeria has made significant progress with rebuilding its road system, boosting its network and adding extra capacity. Since 1999, 23,000 km of roads, including 1,200 km of highways, have been built in the country. The Ministry of Public Works said that work on a further 1,200 km of highways will be launched shortly. The 73km highway stretch between Khemis Miliana and Oued Fodda has now opened to traffic following upgrading works. The segment forms part of Algeria’s East-West highway.