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Vietnam has seen steady improvement in road safety, with the number of traffic related fatalities dropping below 9,000 in 2014. This is the first time the country’s fatality rate has dropped below 9,000 for a number of years. Official data shows that some provinces have successfully lowered down the number of traffic accidents by over 20% in 2014, compared with the previous year. In all provinces or cities 10 reported sharp declines; Da Nang, Bac Giang, Lang Son, Ca Mau, Nam Dinh, Cao Bang, Ninh Thuan, Bac

International interest is strong in Colombia’s infrastructure expansion. Five foreign firms are competing in the country’s 4G road tender process. Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas (FCC), Sinohydro, Sacyr, Tradeco and ICA are amongst the companies competing for 10 contracts worth some US$5.88 billion. The first project opening for tender on 19th May 2015 will be for the Puerta de Hierro-Carreto-Palmar de Varela and Carreto-Cruz del Viso routes. The final tender documents for the 10 projects are being pu

The Indian Government has plans for massive investment in road and transport infrastructure. The country’s Road Transport Ministry has announced it will spend some US$ 80.65 billion in developing its road network between 2015 and 2019. Contracts for some 40,000km of road in all will be awarded during this period. The country also has a strategy of supporting private investment in transport through lower interest rates on loans for PPPs, providing partial funding from central government for local road safety

Metro Pacific Investments Corp (MPIC) is in discussions to form a joint venture for construction of a toll bridge connecting the islands of Mactan and Cebu in the Philippines. Cebu is an island province that incorporates 167 surrounding islands and islets, one of them being Mactan, which lies immediately off Cebu Island, across from Cebu City. MPIC’s subsidiary, Metro Pacific Tollways Development Corp (MPTDC), is proposing an 8.3km bridge costing around US$380 million, according to local media reports

Several major road works are among 15 public-private partnership projects in the Philippines tagged by the World Bank as essential for improving transport in Southeast Asia. The list includes the US$3.4 billion Plaridel Bypass toll road, the $354 million North Luzon Expressway East Expressway, the $171 million Central Luzon Link Expressway-Phase II, as well as the $52.5 million improvement, operation and maintenance of Kennon Road and Marcos Highway. All of the projects, which include major airport an

The European Union's TEN-T programme has allocated US$1.15 million for studies to upgrade for the last remaining section on the main motorway connecting Sweden and Denmark. The 30km section, bypassing Ljungby in southern Sweden, is expected to increase driver safety, cut down on accidents and reduce travel time. Widening the road to motorway standard will eliminate a bottleneck, but the study will also consider ground protection and noise reduction measures. The studies will come up with an Environmen

The Indian Government has announced plans to build 7,300km of roads and 48 bridges. The programme is being handled by India's Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and is called the Road Requirement Plan (RRP) Phase-2. The new roads will be constructed in the so-called ‘red zone’. The project is expected to cost some US$1.72 billion, and it will include the construction of roads, highways and 48 bridges. The ‘red zone’ areas have been affected by left wing extremism, namely the Naxalites. As of January 20

Hungary is considering introducing a congestion charge scheme to capital Budapest at the end of 2016. The aim of the scheme is to cut congestion in the city, with traffic jams and delays frequent particularly in the historic centre. The scheme will also help generate revenue that will pay back EU funding worth some €565.2 million, which was used to pay for the construction of the M4 underground line in the city.

The use of reclaimed asphalt pavement in the United States increased during 2013 after two years of no rise, according the latest report from the US National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA). The report found that more than 73 million tons of reclaimed asphalt pavement and 1.7 million tons of reclaimed asphalt roofing shingles were used in new asphalt pavement mixes in the United States during in 2013. Using recycled asphalt material saved about $2 billion in 2013 over the use of virgin materials,

A major US manufacturer of equipment for building and restoring roads is spearheading a national campaign to have the Federal Government increase funding for America’s much needed highway repairs. Ben Brock, chief executive of Astec Industries, based in Tennessee, is urging people in the transportation and related industries to send a message to their Congressman through the Don’t Let America Dead End website. Astec’s Don't Let America Dead End also includes a national trade ad campaign, direct outrea

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Tendering is opening for a new toll road project in the Philippines. The 8km toll road link will link the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) and the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx). The is handling the tendering process. Manila North Tollways Corp (MNTC) has offered close to US$401 million for the project but the Philippines Government is keen to open up the tender to other companies. MNTC is the toll road division of Metro Pacific Investments and currently operated the NLEx route.

The Peruvian Government plans to push ahead with a series of transport infrastructure projects that have previously suffered delays. Recurrent issues over the size of many of the projects and the investment required have been amongst the factors causing the delays. Opening up funding routes for the projects could release investments worth up to US$6.75 billion in all. The Peruvian Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) is working on the necessary paperwork to allow work to commence on roads worth i

Transurban, an Australian manager of highways and developer of urban toll roads, saw toll revenue for the December 2014 quarter increase by more than 63% to US$304 million compared to the same period last year. For the half-year ended December 2014, toll revenue rose by 63.7% to nearly $602 million, compared to the corresponding period in 2013, a company statement said. Transurban, established in 1966 and based in Melbourne, owns CityLink in Melbourne, which connects three of the city's major freeways