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A colossal road construction plan has been revealed by China’s Yunnan Province. The authorities have revealed that the new infrastructure programme calls for the addition of a further 1,500km of highways. To achieve this, a budget of some US$24.17 billion has been set for the 2014-2015 period. With this road development programme in place the authorities have estimated that by the end of 2015 the province will have a highway network comprising some 4,500km in total.

A series of major road construction projects are underway in Colombia at present. The country’s national roads institute, Invias, is currently investing in excess of US$646 million on an array of road projects at the moment. One key project is for the construction of a new highway connecting Loboguerrero and Buenaventura. Another important project is for the construction of a new bridge connecting Buenaventura with Cascajal Island, which is due for completion in the second half of this year.

Mexico’s road development programme for 2014 is well on track. According to the Secretariat of Communications and Transport in (SCT), some 92% of the budget set for road projects in 2014 has already been implemented. The SCT is now moving forward with its plans for road projects in 2015. The tender process for major contracts will be opening from mid-November 2014. A budget of some US$1.92 billion is being planned for road projects in 2015, a significant increase from the $1.15 billion set for 2014. The fir

Hexagon Geosystems, a division of Hexagon AB, is acquiring French company Geodata Diffusion SAS. This deal further develops the portfolio of Hexagon Geosystems in design, measurement and visualisation technologies. With this move the company becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Hexagon. Headquartered in Arpajon, near Paris (France), Geodata Diffusion is a major provider of network RTK correction services to the surveying segment through its Orphéon network of GNSS permanent stations. The Orphéon network cov

Caterpillar Chairman and CEO Doug Oberhelman has outlined the risks to US competitiveness if the US Government proves unable to agree on both short and long term infrastructure funding issues. "American companies implement just-in-time inventory and on-demand supply chains. We produce vehicles and machines with greater fuel efficiency and lower carbon emissions. We lead the world in innovation, inventing better products and better processes," Oberhelman wrote in an article headlined "Congress must move on t

Work is now to go ahead on upgrading a key stretch of the A21 road in the UK. Contractor Balfour Beatty will handle the work to widen a stretch of the A21 between Tonbridge and Pembury and also improve the road, with it becoming a dual carriageway. The €87.55 million (£69.7 million) scheme forms part of a plan by the UK Government for a series of road improvements of €30.15 billion (£24 billion) by 2021. Advance work is expected to start in the third quarter of this year with the main construction activity

A consortium of contractors comprising Teixeira Duarte and EPOS will handle the construction of Portugal’s Marao Tunnel. The consortium won the tender with a bid of €88.1 million. The tunnel will measure 5.9km long when complete. Separate deals for other sections of the route have also been awarded. The section at Amarante will be handled by Opway, which offered a €29.5 million bid. A consortium comprising contractors Ferrovial and Lena will handle the Vila real section, having offered a bid of €28.8 millio

A major programme of highway investment is being planned in India. The country's Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved US$2.34 billion of works project to widen 676km of national highways (NHs) in Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Kerala, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The highways to be four-laned are the 27km Kazahakkottum-Mukkola section of the National Highway (NH) 47 in Kerala, the 95km section of the NH65 from Ambala-Kaithal in Haryana, and the 99km section of the NH 163 from Yadgiri-Warangal i

In Serbia plans are moving ahead with work on the Zezeljev Bridge. The structure will provide a new crossing over the Danube River for the city of Novi Sad. The new bridge replaces an old structure carrying both rail and road links that was destroyed by bombing in 1999. Construction of the new bridge forms part of an EU strategy for the Danube Region. The current cost of the new bridge has not been disclosed although an estimate in 2010 pegged the pricetag at some €60million. The 470m long by 25m wide struc

In Mexico work is now underway on the La Marquesa-Toluca highway. The project is costing some US$269.5 million in all. The construction is due for completion in December 2015. The work is being carried out jointly on the first stretch of the highway by Spanish contractor OHL working in partnership with local company La Peninsular.

The German automobile manufacturers BMW and Daimler are co-operating on an innovative electric vehicle charging technology. The two companies are jointly developing inductive charging technology that will be suitable for use in electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. The package features two key components, with a coil mounted in the vehicle’s floor and another fitted in a base plate underneath the vehicle. This innovative inductive charging technology could be ready for series production in two to three year

The International Road Educational Foundation is now accepting applications for its IRF Fellowship Programme. The Class of 2016 will start its first Semester in Autumn 2015. Students selected for the Class of 2016 will also participate in the 10-day IRF Road Scholar Program, held in Washington, DC in January. The IRF Fellowship Program provides a graduate level scholarship to young professionals who have strong academic backgrounds, professional qualifications, leadership potential, and a commitment to retu

Research carried out by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety (Miros) reveals cause for concern with an expected increase in the annual fatality rate. The number of road crash deaths in the country currently stands at an average of 18 people/day. But that rate is expected to increase to an average of 29/day according to the research. In 2020, the annual death toll on the country’s road network is expected to hit 10,716 compared with the 6,915 deaths/year recorded in recent years. Of the total number of fat

The opening of the Blanka Tunnel in the Czech Republic will be further delayed. The tunnel will now open for traffic in April 2015 instead of October 2014, which was the most recent opening date for the link. This delay has been attributed to issues with the technology being installed in the link, although the construction work being carried out by Metrostav is now close to completion. In all, the project is costing some €1.31 billion. When the tunnel is complete it will help lower congestion levels in Czec

In the US, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) released a key statement on HR 5021, the Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2014. The bill was introduced in the House by Ways and Means chairman Dave Camp (R-MI), and cosponsored by Shuster. He said, “We have an immediate, critical need to address the solvency of the Highway Trust Fund and extend the current surface transportation law. This bill does that in a responsible way with policies that have all previous