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In Colombia, the Council of Ministers has given official approval to a fourth public-private partnership (PPP), this time for a motorway between Cesar and La Guajira. The 350km road, costing an estimated US$151 million, will connect San Roque with Cuestecita, take four years to build and employ around 1,400 workers. The announcement comes Columbia’s National Infrastructure Agency said it will help finance construction of the Toyo tunnel in Antioquia. The tunnel, nearly 10km-long and costing almost $765, wil

Panama looks set for a major development programme for its road network. The country’s Ministry of Public Works (MOP) has plan for some US$2.95 billion of road development projects over the next five years. One of the key projects will be to upgrade the Howard-Puente Centenario road. Other important projects being prioritised include the construction of new access roads to the Tocumen international airport's cargo terminal as well as new road links that will help boost logistics.

North Dakota in the US is to benefit from major investment in infrastructure following political progress at state level. In all around US$1.1 billion of fast-track funding will be available for infrastructure investment in the state. Of this around $450 million will be targeted towards state highway projects, so as to boost transportation and connectivity.

The East West Connect consortium is set to abandon Melbourne’s East West Link contract in return for a payment of between US$400 million and $535 million, according to media reports. But the Victoria state government is challenging the claim by East West Connect whose partners include Lend Lease, Acciona, Capella Capital and Bouygues. Instead, the government wants East West to payback around $153 million which the consortium allegedly received when the toll road contract was signed, reported the Herald Sun

The Indonesian government is getting ready to tender for major infrastructure projects including roads to be developed under public-private partnership (PPP) contracts, the Jakarta Post reported. Public Works and Public Housing minister Basuki Hadimuljono said in Jakarta that the first priorities would be on the 94km Balikpapan-Samarinda toll road, the 7km Manado-Bitung toll road in North Sulawesi and a drinking water treatment system project in western Semarang, central Java. The projects will prove that P

International Road Dynamics (IRD) will design, supply and install 19 mainline weigh-in-motion systems throughout the US State of Georgia. IRD, based in the city of Saskatoon in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, said the contract is worth US$7.93 million. The deal includes mainline WIM scales on the interstate, at the roadside and in scale houses as well as license plate reading, USDOT number reading, side view cameras and over-height detection systems at 19 weigh station locations. IRD’s systems will c

Traffic accidents in the UK capital London have declined 40% since the introduction of a congestion charge in 2003, according to a new study. The number of accidents per million miles driven in the congestion zone fell to 2.6 accidents per million miles from an average of 12.4 before the introduction of the charge. Researchers at Lancaster University also found a similar fall in the number of people seriously injured or killed. As well, accident rates fell in adjacent areas as a result of fewer motorists dr

Istanbul is often said to be where Europe meets Asia, geographically and culturally. This September the great city will also be the focus of the International Road Federation’s 1st Europe & Central Asia Regional Congress. The congress will be an exceptional opportunity for anyone, especially from Europe and Asia, involved in major road projects to connect and network with ministers, road agency heads and local government leaders. But time is running out to be among the prestigious speakers and presenters at

Work is progressing to plan for the construction of a new tunnel in Turkey. The new Ilgaz Mountain Tunnel should be completed by the end of 2015. This new link will help cut journey times for drivers. The construction of the Ilgaz Mountain Tunnel will reduce the travel distance along the existing route by some 5.4km. Construction work on the tunnel commenced in 2012 and the link will be one of the longest in Turkey when it is complete.

Road crash data for Estonia is provoking concern amongst the authorities. Estonia’s Road Administration says that despite enforcement measures by police, the number of crashes in the country has not fallen. In 2014 there were 1,431 crashes that involved injuries. Some 78 people were killed while 1,742 were injured during this period. Excessive speed and alcohol use were cited as the two main causes of crashes in the country.

Costs have climbed for construction work on a highway connection in Ecuador. The highway project is now expected to cost in excess of US$100 million to build. The widening work for the 42km stretch connecting Cuenca and Biblian being carried out by contractor Hidalgo & Hidalgo has climbed to over $100 million, compared with the $72 million planned originally. The climbing construction cost can be connected to the need for unplanned additional activities on the project. This additional work has also meant th