News

Serbia is on schedule with its construction programme for highways and roads. The country looks set to have completed 64km of highways and 15km of parallel or link roads during 2014. This figure compares favourably with the average 50km/year construction rate across most European countries currently building highways. Meanwhile Serbian road company Koridori Srbije looks set to merge with the road company Putevi Srbije. Koridori Srbije has already built 51km of highways during 2014. The remainder should be c

The Polish town of Marki is to benefit from a new 15km ring road, which will be constructed by a consortium comprising the contractors Astaldi and Salini. The project has a total value of some €167.4 million. The first section will measure 8.1km and run from Kobylka and Marki junctions. Salini plans to complete this stretch in 32 months. Meanwhile, the second section will run between Radzymin Pld and Kobylka junctions and will be completed in 36 months. Meanwhile work on the final section of the S8 road has

In the Philippines a new road connection forms part of a wider plan to upgrade the key Subic Bay Port. The work is being planned by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and the new road link will connect through to the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX). The work is expected to cost US$245.3 million, with $156.09 million for the port expansion and $89.2 million for the new road. The new road connection is of key importance to the port project as it will help with the transport of goods to and from the si

The Mexican Government says it has managed to boost road investment in 2014, compared with 2013. According to the Secretariat of Communications and Transport (SCT), investment in road projects between January and October 2014 hit US$5.39 billion, some $56 million more than for the whole of 2013. Mexico’s National Infrastructure Project (PNI) includes 266 government pledges, of which the SCT is responsible for 105. By the end of 2014, there will be four new motorways n Mexico costing over MXN 4bn (the Mazatl

Thailand’s government is planning to spend nearly US$25 billion in ten years from 2016 on overhauling Thailand’s road and rail transport infrastructure.

Preliminary figures for deaths and serious injuries suggest a worrying increase in casualty rates for the EU’s three largest countries. The data suggests that France, Germany and the UK may well see an increase in road deaths, ending 10 years of progress in steadily reducing casualty rates. According to early data from the UK Government, there has been a 3% increase in people killed and a 4% increase in people killed and seriously injured (KSI) during the year ending in June 2014. This comes on top of a 1.7

The European Construction Industry Federation (FIEC) has welcomed the European Commission’s latest financial package to boost infrastructure investment in southern Europe.

Many US states offer cash-back deals and tax breaks to encourage people to buy more electric vehicles. But Oregon has shunned financial incentives and opted to drive up EV sales through increasing the number of recharging stations.

In Russia an additional investment worth close to US$30 million is required to complete work on the new Kirovsky Bridge in Samara. However, the authorities in the Samara region have revealed that there is a problem with regard to financing the construction work. The funds from the 2015 regional budget are insufficient to pay for the remaining portion of the work. As a possible solution, the authorities in the Samara region are looking to the Russian Federal Government to provide the additional funds require

Amey will handle the contract to manage and maintain the existing Forth Road Bridge and the new Queensferry Crossing. The latter is currently under construction. The contract will commence on the 1st June 2015 and Amey will then take over responsibility for the Forth Road Bridge, which opened to traffic in 1964. The Queensferry Crossing is due to open to traffic in 2016.

Work on Algeria’s RN-43 route is due for completion in early 2015. The project involves widening the RN-43 between the provinces of Jijel and El Milia. Meanwhile a study has been carried out with regard to the benefits to be gained from widening the RN-27 between El Milia and the administrative boundaries of Mila. However work on a viaduct in Ghar El Baz situated to the west of Jijel has been delayed due to geotechnical issues. This has required a technical study to be carried out as well as a detailed geot

New routes in Mexico will help boost transport. In all four major motorway projects are due for completion by the end of 2014. These projects are: the Colima-Tonila road section, which is costing US$36.3 million, the 29km Salamanca- Irapuato section of the Salamanca-Leon motorway, the 42.3km Oriente de Chihuahua bypass and the 3 km Mazatlan bypass. Additionally, the two-lane 55km Xcan-Playa del Carmen road has recently been inaugurated.

Moroccan motorway operator Autoroutes du Maroc (ADM) has announced that by 2016, the country will have a motorway network extending some 1,800km. The motorway network will have cost around US$5.1 billion to construct. ADM will also celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2016. At present ADM operates 1,511km of motorway. This is the second longest network in Africa. Further plans are in hand, with the focus now on improving connections between the north and the south of the country. An additional 2,000km of roads