News

Indonesian road firm Jasa Marga will fund work on a major toll road project using a loan from state lenders, Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI), Bank Mandiri, Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) and Bank Sumatera Utara (Bank Sumut). The US$212 million loan will finance work on Jasa Marga's Medan-Kuala Namu-Tebing Tinggi toll road. The route is 61.7km long and will connect Kuala Namu International Airport to other key areas.

Work on a major road project in Taiwan is facing delays due to unforeseen circumstances. Construction work on the Suhua Highway Improvement Project is being delayed due to the discovery of archeological remains. Work will now be stopped until the site can be excavated by archeologists. The remains are thought to be some 2,000 years old. Work on the US$1.5 billion project commenced in 2011.

Engineering specialists Mouchel and Hyder team are now working jointly on a feasibility study worth €1.87 million (£1.3 million). The contract is to investigate the feasibility of the proposed Trans-Pennine tunnel. This link would connect the cities of Manchester and Sheffield. The cost of the road tunnel running is expected to be high but a new route is needed as the existing connections are nearing capacity and from an environmental perspective, taking the traffic underground would be preferential. This s

Austrian contract STRABAG has won the tender process to widen the A3 Autobahn in southern Germany. The contract will see the firm widening the A3 to six lanes in a deal worth €90 million. The A3 connects the cities of Frankfurt and Nuremburg. STRABAG has been awarded the EO 287 contract to widen a 5.7km section of the road using asphalt construction methods in the state of Bavaria. It has also won the EO 259 contract to widen an 8.5km section of road using asphalt construction methods in the state of in Bad

New research by the UK’s Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) reveals the high risk of distracted driving. Many drivers are using their phones and tablets to take selfies, make video calls and watch videos while at the wheel according to the report. The findings come from research commissioned this month exclusively by the IAM, which asked 500 drivers how they use their smartphones and tablets in the car.

Morocco’s Transport Ministry says that by 2035, the country will have constructed 85% of its required transport infrastructure. To achieve the country’s ambitious transportation development programme, PPPs will increasingly be used to deliver projects due to the high levels of investment required. The country’s high speed rail project will be the first of its kind in Africa, while new ports will be built in Dakhla, Jorf Lasfar, Safi, Kénitra and Nador.

As much as US$485.71 million will be provided for development of 312 km of roads in Kazakhstan’s Almaty Region during 2015. The major projects being carried out in the region include the Western Europe-Western China road, the Centre-South road, Almaty-Ust-Kamenogorsk, and the Big Almaty Ring Road. Their overall value totals $416.78 million.

India plans to carry out the necessary feasibility study into the bridge and tunnel connection with Sri Lanka. India’s Transport Ministry has said that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide the finance needed for the project, which is now expected to cost US$3.6 billion. According to India’s Transport Ministry the bridge and tunnel link with Sri Lanka forms part of a plan to boost the country’s connections with its neighbours. The new over sea crossing will provide an important connection to a count

Nepal’s Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport Management has been allocated US$524.48 million in the 2015-16 budget for developing infrastructure projects in the country. The country is faced with an additional challenge at present of repairing the links wrecked by the powerful earthquake that caused extensive damage all across Nepal. A budget of $309.8 million is being used for the Postal Highway, while a budget of $189.4 million has been set for the Mid-Hill highway. Some $97.1 million is bein

A dispute between the European Commission (EC) and Hungary has halted the flow of funds for road construction projects. The move has seen the EC officially suspending its payments for road construction projects in Hungary. This move means that funding worth €1.15 billion is not being provided. As a result, Hungary is now considering turning to the European Court of Justice to appeal for the funding stream to be revived.

Louis Berger is heading a consortium that will oversee a key road rebuilding project in Senegal. The package of works was awarded to the consortium by the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA). The work is for the third phase of the Ziguinchor-Tanaff-Kolda-Velingara section of National Highway 6. Work associated with this project brings the total value of consultancy services delivered by the consortium over the three project phases to nearly US$9.4 million.

The authorities in China’s capital Beijing are introducing further measures in a bid to encourage the use of electric vehicles. The latest move is to exempt electric vehicles from road tolls and parking charges. New charging facilities are being introduced with 22g charging stations, while electric vehicle owners are also exempt from other restrictions on use that apply to internal combustion engine vehicles such as the numberplate rule. This last allows vehicles to be used only on alternate days depending

MWV Specialty Chemicals is being renamed Ingevity. The MWV Specialty Chemicals division of WestRock Company is being renamed in the run up to being spun off as an independent, publicly-traded company around the end of the year. “Ingevity is a unique expression of our purpose – to turn our customers’ complex challenges into powerful possibilities,” said Ed Rose, president, MWV Specialty Chemicals. “Our announcement is the first step in a comprehensive plan to launch our brand, and define our future as a