News

The Louisiana Transportation Research Center (LTRC) has released a report summarising current US asphalt and concrete pavement smoothness requirements. The report, Best Practices for Achieving and Measuring Pavement Smoothness, A Synthesis of State-of-Practice, is important at a time when the US is undergoing a change in the way smoothness specifications are written. A growing number of states are moving away from profilograph-based smoothness specifications in favor of specifications based on a more widely

The authorities in Vietnam have set a massive budget for road development in Ho Chi Minh City. Some US$5.54 billion will be spent on improving the city’s road network. The projects included in the 2016-2020 road transport development plan include the construction of Belt Roads No3 and No4, the Ben Luc-Long Thanh Highway and tunnels at the Cong Hoa-Truong Chinh and An Suong intersections. The work also includes building flyovers at the Nguyen Huu Tho-Nguyen Van Linh Intersection, My Thuy Roundabout and Go Va

Ecuador is planning a series of four PPP infrastructure projects worth a total of US$1.5 billion. The four projects include the development of the port of Posorja, which will be financed by the private company involved. Two other projects are for the development of the port of Machala and the Rio 7 highway in Huaquillas, both of which are located in El Oro province. New regulations and laws are being established for the PPP plan to go ahead.

A key road project in Panama has been the source of some controversy. The upgrade of Domingo Diaz Avenue in Panama City has been criticised for its poor quality by some of the users of the route. Also known as Tocumen road, the project is for improvement work to 12.1km of road from the centre of Panama City to the East districts. The US$237 million work required involved widening the route to six lanes, as well as building three bridges for vehicle traffic and five pedestrian bridges. A consortium made up o

The Muntinlupa Cavite Expressway in the Philippines is now carrying tolled traffic. The route was open for a month toll free for its initial operations. Ayala Corporation has the concession for the route, while Egis supplied the traffic control equipment and has a subcontract to operate and maintain the technology on the expressway for seven years. The MCX expressway was previously called the Daang Hari – SLEX Link Road. This 4km long toll road links the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) to the Daang Hari road

Indonesia’s Trans Papua road is due to be completed in 2018, according to the Ministry of Public Works and Housing. This 847km road is being constructed in stages and is intended to boost both trade and transport. The project is expected to cost up to US$867.52 million to complete.

The European Bitumen Association, Eurobitume, is carrying out a new membership drive. As part of the package this includes a special promotion and early bird offer for the Eurobitume event. The new membership structure is intended to enable more organisations associated with the bitumen industry in Europe to join its ranks and benefit from Eurobitume’s pool of expertise.

Photo of the month July August 2015. Flying Ferrari finds fleeting freedom from police parking problems

Parsons has been selected by the Canadian province of Ontario to provide environmental assessment planning and preliminary design for the next section of the 407 Transitway. Work will include 23km of bus rapid transit lanes, from west of Hurontario Street to east of Highway 400, as well as 11 transit stations, all around the provincial capital Toronto area. The project is part of the 150km cross-regional rapid transit corridor planned to parallel Highway 407 Express Toll Route freeway, a 107km control

Funding has been secured for a major highway widening and upgrade project in Bangladesh. The route running from capital Dhaka to Sylhet will be widened sufficiently so that it will feature two lanes running in either direction, enabling it to better cope with the traffic volumes it currently handles. The highway widening project will be funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The feasibility study for the project has already been carried out. The project will be managed by Bangladesh’s Road Transport an

Chinese funding will help deliver the construction of a major new road project in Senegal. A loan worth US$704.6 million will help finance the construction of Senegal’s new 113km highway connecting Touba and Thiès. The contractor China Road and Bridge Construction (CRBC) will carry out the construction works, which is expected to require 45 months to complete. The loan will be paid back over a 25-year period using toll revenues.

Swiss firm Implenia has won the contract to construct the first section of Stockholm’s new bypass in a deal worth €216.7 million. The Förbifart Stockholm road project was awarded by the Swedish Transport Administration, Trafikverket. Implenia won the package of works following its acquisition of Bilfinger Construction and will commence work during October 2015. The section Implenia will work on is called the FSE 403 stretch and the work includes building a 7.2km long, twin tube tunnel as well as slip roads.

Repair costs for the fire-ravaged undersea Skatestraum tunnel in Bremanger have risen to nearly US$4.7 million, according to Norwegian media reports. Repairs will run into next year when the tunnel, on Norway’s southern North Sea coast, will re-open, although no date was given, the Norwegian media outlet E24 said. The tunnel, nearly 2km long, was opened only in 2002 at a cost of nearly $39 million. No one was injured in the accident when the tunnel was severely damaged by fire on July 15. A tanker

Mott MacDonald has won the contract to supervise construction of Poland’s A1 highway. The company supervise work for two sections of the A1 highway, a project being co-financed by the country’s General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways and the European Union (EU). The construction of the A1 highway is due to for completion in early 2019. The project is intended to tackle congestion in the city of Czestochowa. It will diverting traffic from the city centre onto the newly constructed 25km highway.