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Strong forecast for Bauma Conexpo Africa
December 15, 2014
The organisers of the next bauma Africa event are confident that it will beat the attendance for the previous show. The premier of bauma Africa in 2013 was successful, attracting 754 exhibitors from 28 countries and 14,700 visitors from over 110 countries. For 2015, the two leading trade fair organisers in the construction and mining machinery sector, Messe München International and AEM have set up a joint venture, Bauma CONEXPO Africa. With increased visitor marketing planned for 2015, this event promises
Tender process for tunnel in Southern Germany
December 15, 2014
The tender process is underway for a new tunnel link in the Southern German state of Bavaria.
Alcohol consumption car crash cause
December 15, 2014
A new report from insurance firm Allianz highlights the appalling risks to road users resulting from drink driving. "On a global level, every 10th fatal accident can be traced back to alcohol. Men are more likely to expose themselves to this danger, risking their lives with it," according to Christoph Lauterwasser, Head of the Allianz Center for Technology (AZT) in Munich. The fatality rates from road traffic crashes that have resulted from alcohol use have been investigated by the World Health Organisatio
BAM and Iridium get the green light Ross link road in Ireland
December 15, 2014
The BAM PPP PGGM and Iridium consortium has been named preferred bidder for the N25 New Ross Bypass project in the Irish Republic. The US$270 million (€217 million) contract - Design, Build, Finance, Maintain and Operate - involves 13.6 km of dual carriageway on the N25 and N30 routes and 1.2 km of the carriageway New Ross N30 route. Construction is expected to support around 300 jobs across Ireland and will be undertaken by a joint venture of BAM Civil and civil engineering firm Dragados. The road will
Parsons Brinckerhoff accredited with Investing in Integrity award
December 15, 2014
Parsons Brinckerhoff UK has been awarded an Investing in Integrity accreditation for its ethical policies, procedures and practices. Investing in Integrity tests an organisation’s ethical conduct against its value statements to ensure those values are properly embedded. Parsons is the first engineering consultancy to be give the accreditation, a statement from the company said. To gain the accreditation, Parsons Brinckerhoff underwent an independent assessment by Investing in Integrity assessment par
Widening for key section of UK’s A11 route complete
December 12, 2014
Contractor Balfour Beatty has completed the €132.4 million (£105 million) upgrade of the last remaining single carriageway section of the A11. This section of the route runs between Barton Mills in Suffolk and Thetford in Norfolk. The work involved dualling nearly 15km of carriageway on behalf of the Highways Agency.
Pothole pique drives UK man into action
December 12, 2014
Potholes are the scourge of commuters and the source of hours of complaining around the office water cooler. But some people do more than complain; they take action that gets results, such as happened recently in the United Kingdom.
Pan-European enforcement agreement on the way
December 11, 2014
The prospect of a full Pan-European agreement on enforcement has now moved one step closer. An informal political agreement has now been reached on revised rules to enable cross-border enforcement of traffic offences such as speeding fines. A European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling in May said that the existing rules, which only came into force in November last year, had been adopted on an incorrect legal basis. That decision led the European Commission to publish a revised legal proposal in July, but the EC
Pan-European enforcement agreement on the way
December 11, 2014
The prospect of a full Pan-European agreement on enforcement has now moved one step closer. An informal political agreement has now been reached on revised rules to enable cross-border enforcement of traffic offences such as speeding fines. A European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling in May said that the existing rules, which only came into force in November last year, had been adopted on an incorrect legal basis. That decision led the European Commission to publish a revised legal proposal in July, but the EC
Kuwait Fund loans Sri Lanka US$35m for bridge reconstruction
December 11, 2014
Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development has awarded a loan worth nearly US$35 million to the Sri Lankan government for reconstructing 25 deteriorated road bridges. The bridges include three in Southern Province, four in Sabaragamuwa Province, nine in Western Province, three in Northern Province, five in North Western Province and a bridge in Eastern Province. The loan comes after the Ministry of Highways, Ports and Shipping sent out an invitation to bid in October, covering eight bridges along the
Algeria gives go ahead for 63km Guelma-Annaba motorway
December 11, 2014
Work has started on Algeria’s 63km bypass motorway to connect Guelma with Annaba and the East-West motorway, which is set to be completed within two years. Algeria’s Minister for Public Works Abdelkader Kadi made the announcement, has announced the launch of work on the 63km bypass connecting Guelma with Annaba. Nearly $346 million has been set aside for the 35km part of the project within the province of Guelma. In the province of Annaba, Kadi said that work had started on another section of the mot
Long term improvement in Malaysian road safety observed
December 10, 2014
The latest official data from Malaysia reveals a general, long-term improvement in road safety. In capital Kuala Lumpur, the road fatality rate has dropped by close to 50% in the 10 year period from 2004 to 2014. In 2013, the road fatality rate stood at at 0.44% of the 1.88 million population in the city, compared with 0.83% of the 1.52 million population recorded in 2004. During January-October 2014, the car crash rate and fatality rate in the city was reported to drop by 289 cases and seven cases respecti
Pavement Preservation & Recycling: pay now or pay more later
December 10, 2014
Governments need more than ever to plan long-term highway strategies or face an increasing backlog of increasingly expensive maintenance requirements. “Insufficient maintenance has created a backlog and is affecting service levels,” said Jean-Francois Corte, secretary general of the World Road Association (PIARC), based in Paris. How to stop this seemingly endless downward spiral is what attendees to the major Pavement Preservation & Recycling Summit in Paris will find out in February. “What’s needed ri
Highways Agency rebrands as part of its first five-year plan
December 10, 2014
The UK’s Highways Agency will rebrand as part of the organisation’s first five-year Strategic Business Plan to maintain England’s motorways and major A roads up to 2020. The plan for England’s strategic road network was developed response to the Road Investment Strategy published in early December. The UK government is getting set to make deliver the largest investment in roads since the 1970s and wants to make sure it gets value for money as well as nearly US$1.9 billion (£1.2 billion) of efficiency savin
New Russian tunnel for Rostov-on-Don
December 10, 2014
In Russia the new Severny tunnel is planned for Rostov-on-Don. This four-lane tunnel will be 3.5 km long, and will be designed to carry up to 60,000 vehicles/day. The project is expected to cost in the region of US$188.43-226.12 million to construct. Design work will take two years, with the project due for completion in four years. The tunnel's service life is expected to total 24 years.