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The 24th World ITMA Congress focussing on traffic medicine and road safety is being held in Qatar. The event will run from 16th – 18th November 2015 in Doha and will be hosted by Qatar’s National Traffic Safety Committee. The event will be held in conjunction with the World Day of Remembrance of Road Accident Victims. An exhibition and various community activities will be organised during the Congress, which is being run under the patronage of Qatar’s prime minister/minister of interior and president of the

Progress is being made with regard to the proposed Silvertown Tunnel project under the River Thames in London. The public consultation process is now going ahead for the Silvertown Tunnel, which has been described as vital for freight by the Freight Transport Association. Transport for London (TfL) is launching the consultation into a series of crossings planned in and around the capital. The Silvertown Tunnel will link the Greenwich Peninsula with the Royal Docks and will provide a reduction in congestion

David S Zachry, chief executive officer of Texas-based Zachry Corporation, has been elected 2015-2016 chairman by the members of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). Zachry’s career in the transportation construction industry spans nearly 30 years. In 1996, he was named president of the company’s Civil Group. In August 2004, he assumed the responsibilities of president and chief operating officer of Zachry Construction Corporation. And in January 2008, he was named president and

Polish General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA) is announcing tenders for the construction of a series of major routes. One key stretch is for a 41km section of the S14 dual carriageway, which will link the A2 highway with the S8 dual carriageway and which will constitute Lodz's western ring-road. According to declarations of the Polish Infrastructure and Development Ministry, work on the S14 project will commence in 2016.

The authorities in the US state of Ohio have highlighted the increased risk of crashes involving deer. This is due to a combination of factors including fewer daylight hours and the increased movement of deer due to mating season, along with the hunting season. The road identified as having the greatest risk in the state is State Route 64 in Lucas County between Reed Road and US Route 20 Airport Highway. This road suffered 19 crashes in 2014.

An investigation is being carried out into the project to build a coastal road in linking Saint-Denis and La Possession in the French island of Réunion. This investigation is being carried out by a Paris court and is focussing on allegations of corruption in the awarding of contracts. The project is worth US$1.79 billion and is aimed at improving traffic links. The existing road is often closed due to rockfalls but the project to build the new link has been criticised for its cost and its environmental impa

Cambodia’s roads show an increase in crashes. The country's National Road Safety Committee (NRSC) has announced official results showing that road related fatalities increased by 14% from 1,950 in 2013 to 2,226 in 2014. People aged from 15 - 39 accounted for 64% of the road crash casualties, while there were 4,645 recorded collisions. According to NRSC, 12% of the casualties were listed as students, followed by workers at 19%, and farmers at 42%. Worryingly the NSRC has said that deaths from road crashes co

Dutch global geotechnical services company Fugro has integrated and rebranded its UK operations as Fugro GeoServices. Operating under the new name are Fugro Seacore, Fugro Engineering Services, EM Drilling, Fugro Loadtest, Fugro Instrumentation & Monitoring and Fugro Aperio. Fugro GeoServices employs close to 600 people and undertakes seven key activities: nearshore geotechnical, offshore geotechnical, marine installation, onshore ground investigation, cone penetration testing, geophysics and instrume

Poor service from his Mercedes dealer prompted an angry man in South Korea to take a golf club to his new €440,000 Mercedes passenger car. The turbocharged S63 AMG coupe got a severe thrashing that was captured on video, all because of engines problems that began soon after it was delivered to the then-happy customer. The customer wanted his money back, before he took his golf club to the unsuspecting car. The dealership was reportedly not interested at first, but has begun discussions to end the u

The American Road & Transportation Builders Association’s Transportation Development Foundation (ARTBA-TDF) has presented awards to five separate industry initiatives. These were highlighted for commitment to promoting safety during the association’s 17th annual Roadway Work Zone Safety Awareness Awards held recently at a luncheon during ARTBA’s National Convention in Philadelphia. The competition recognises outstanding programmes, campaigns and technologies aimed at helping reduce roadway work zone a

Paraguay’s Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC) will award a series of road projects worth around US$1.3 billion in early 2016. These project include work on the first section of the bi-oceanic corridor, the reconstruction of Route 9, the expansion of Routes 2 and 7 and the second bridge connecting Paraguay with Brazil. The tender process for Route 9 from Remanso Bridge to the city of Mariscal Estigarribia will open shortly and the project is expected to cost around $380 million. The tender fo

The China Communications Construction Company is to take part in the second and third construction phases of Tehran’s north highway project. A memorandum of understanding signed earlier this year marks the first time a Chinese contractor has worked in Iran. The second section covers around 23km and includes a 6.5km tunnel and a 16.5km highway. The third section spans about 45km, of which 38km will be through tunnels. Total cost is around US$2 billion, with the second section costing $500 million.

Highways England has met suppliers and stakeholders to discuss how it will spend more than €2.7 billion to improve roads across the East of England region in the next six years. The work is part of the government’s Road Investment Strategy to triple levels of spending on England’s roads by the end of the decade. Plans include major improvements on the M11, A5 and M1, A1(M), A12, A14, A47 and A428. Roads minister Andrew Jones said the investment is the largest in a generation.