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Major capacity upgrade for key junction on UK’s M25 route
December 18, 2014
Balfour Beatty and Skanska will carry out a major motorway junction upgrade project worth €69.7 million (£55 million) in the UK. The two companies will operate on the project in a 50:50 joint venture to upgrade junction 30 of the M25 gyratory motorway around capital London. The deal was awarded by the UK’s Highways Agency. This joint venture, Balfour Beatty Skanska, is a construction partner to Connect Plus, the company responsible for managing and upgrading the M25 network. Balfour Beatty Skanska has alrea
AVTODOR seeks another Moscow-St Petersburg motorway section bid
December 18, 2014
Russia's state highways agency AVTODOR has invited bids for construction of another section of the Moscow to St. Petersburg toll motorway. Starting cost of the bid to build the section from kilometre 58-149 is nearly US$1.2 billion. Investors will have to put up front 20% of the accepted bid cost to build the 91km section. Construction of the 700km motorway is being let in sections, with highly competitive bids coming from the major international players in highways infrastructure. In February 2014
Poland: Budimex picks up S3 express road work near Lubin
December 18, 2014
The Polish construction consortium of Budimex and Ferrovial Agroman has won a tender to build a 22.6km section of the S3 express road between Silesian town of Legnica in the southwest and Lubin Poludiine, around 170km southeast of the capital Warsaw. The bid by the consortium, in which Budimex has a 95% stake, was nearly US$234 million and construction is expected to take 30 months. Ferrovial Agroman is the engineering and construction arm of Spanish infrastructure group Ferrovial. In early December,
Brazil: Phase 2 of PAC infrastructure programme shows results
December 18, 2014
Brazil has built nearly 5,200km of roads in the past four years, according to a review of the federal government's PAC Phase 2 accelerated economic growth programme. Around 1,400 of the 5,200km were built under long-term concessions and another 7,000km are under construction. Total investment has been around US$24.43 billion. PAC is a strategic investment programme that combines management initiatives and public works, according to the World Bank. The first phase, launched in 2007, saw around $349 bil
Engineering specialist Ramboll acquires ENVIRON
December 17, 2014
Engineering specialist Ramboll has acquired the US-based global consultancy, ENVIRON. The deal gives Ramboll a strong market position globally, particularly in the environmental sector. At the time of the acquisition, the combined revenue of Ramboll and ENVIRON exceeds US$1.7 billion, of which 34% will be generated outside the Nordic countries. Measured on revenue the US will become the fourth biggest geography after Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Commenting on the acquisition Ramboll Group CEO Jens-Peter
Road repairs planned for Nampula in Mozamique
December 17, 2014
In Mozambique a budget of US$100 million has been set for road rehabilitation work to be carried out in Nampula Province. The upgrades will be carried out for a total distance of a 300km and will be carried out in phases. Work will commence in 2015. The road improvements will be carried out on the Nametil-Nampula city, Moma-Nametil city, Angoche-Moma, Monapo-Angoche and Angoche-Nametil sections of road.
European electric vehicle charging network
December 17, 2014
A new co-funded European project will provide fast-charging facilities for electric vehicles along major routes across the EU. The Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T) project is named the European Long-distance Electric Clean Transport Road Infrastructure Corridor (ELECTRIC). The project will see the installation of a corridor of high-quality fast chargers along key European highways by the end of 2015. The project should boost electric vehicle uptake in the involved Member States and focus on interop
Algeria road maintenance budget set
December 17, 2014
Algeria has set a new 2015 road maintenance and upgrade budget for its highway network. The Ministry for Public Works announced it is setting aside close to US$347 million for maintenance work on the country's highways during 2015. The network is now 32,000km long, following a series of projects in recent years. The budget will include the updating of traffic signalling technologies.
Strong attendance points to a successful bauma China show
December 17, 2014
Even heavy rain showers on the first day of the bauma China exhibition in Shanghai did not dissuade the crowds packing the outside exhibition areas - Mike Woof writes Those firms exhibiting at bauma China 2014 in Shanghai benefited from a strong show that attracted a record attendance of 191,000, an increase of 6% over the 2012 event. A wide array of new equipment was on show from the 3,104 firms exhibiting, an increase of 14% from 2012. There was a strong focus on technology and new engines required for
New roads to boost Ghana industry
December 16, 2014
Ghana in West Africa continues to see its economy develop, due to a combination of factors, allowing more investment for roads that will further aid future growth. The Ghanaian Government has plans to invest in building new roads that will connect cocoa growing communities. This programme is being planned by the Ghana Cocoa Board (Cocobod), with some US$150 million intended for road revamping and construction purposes. The work will help with transportation of cocoa beans and aid in the development of the c
Road repairs required for Algerian links
December 16, 2014
A budget of US$1.16 billion has been set for the rehabilitation of the Tamanrasset road network in Algeria. The project will focus initially on the town’s six major roads, which link the town centre to Tahaggart, Tafsit to the province's new head office, the hospital to Assihar junction, Tahagart to Mouflon, Malta to the town centre and Tahaggart to Adrian. Problems have been identified on the road leading towards the border area of In Guezzam. The cause of the problems have been traced to the use of an asp
New Chinese highways for Sichuan, Guangxi and Guangdong Provinces
December 16, 2014
Five new highway links are planned to be built in Sichuan, Guangxi and Guangdong Provinces. In all the projects are expected to cost some US$18.14 billion. The Barkam-Wenchuan highway in Sichuan Province will cost $4.65 billion while the Baise-Hechi highway in Guangxi Province will cost $2.55 billion. The Chaozhou Guxiang-Dongshan highway and Huaiji-Longchuan highway in Guangdong Province will cost $1.2 billion and $6.49 billion respectively. The highway connecting Liuzhou with Nanning will cost $3.25 billi
New toll roads panned for Indonesia
December 16, 2014
Two major new toll road projects are now in planning for Indonesia. One is for the Palembang-Indralaya toll project while the other is for the Soreang-Pasir Koja toll road. The South Sumatra provincial government believes that the Palembang-Indralaya toll road project will cost US$319.2 million, and feature a pay-back period of 18 years and 11 months. The investors in the project include the construction firms, Jasa Marga and Hutama Karya as well as the provincial government-owned Prodexim. Hutama Karya is
New road and tunnel links planned for Portugal
December 16, 2014
The Portuguese road agency Estradas de Portugal (EP) intends to invest €1.33 billion between 2015 and 2020 on the construction of new roads and on the renovation of existing ones. Some €893 million will be allocated on the construction of new roads, notably the tunnel at Marao which is costing €146 million and the €600 million IP3 road connecting Coimbra and Viseu.
New highway for Russia’s north west
December 16, 2014
In the north west of Russia, plans are in hand for a new highway project. The 80km highway is expected to cost US$172 million. The tender process is now underway and 40km of the highway is to be offered under a concession package. This section of the Syktyvkar - Naryan-Mar (the Nenets Autonomous Area, North-West) highway will be built in the Komi Republic. Construction of the highway is planned to commence in 2015, with completion expected in 2018.