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Chile’s Ministry of Public Works is investigating its options with regard to an alternative road to Route 68. The road connects capital Santiago with the country's fifth region. The new road is one of several projects listed in the road concessions packages set out by the Ministry of Public Works for 2020. An upgrade to this road link is required as Route 68 suffers heavy congestion at peak periods and particularly over long weekends or holidays. The project could cost in the region of US$200 million in all

Bolivia has a major programme of highway expansion and improvements underway at present in a plan designed to improve the country’s transport links. The programme includes 16 double-lane highways being built, costing some US$1.85 billion in all. The work is being managed by the state-run road administration company ABC. The roads will improve connections to La Paz, Oruro, Santa Cruz and Cochabamba. The road between La Paz and Oruro is 80% finished. The other projects will be finished between 2015 and 2018.

Improvements are needed to key roads in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. A report from the National Roads and Motorists' Association (NRMA) says that there is a funding backlog for road works. According to the MRNA report some US$1.08 billion (A$1.15 billion) is needed to bring the NSW North Coast council roads to a satisfactory condition. The North Coast councils in need of the money include Greater Taree, Clarence Valley, Coffs Harbour City, Port Macquarie Hastings and Byron Shire. A number of options ar

Newly available data reveals that South Korea’s road fatality rate is worryingly high. The research reveals that South Korea’s roads kill 105 people/1 million of population/year. This compares poorly with the average for nations that are members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), with 65 people/1 million of population/year being killed in road traffic crashes. Pedestrian fatalities in South Korea stand at 4.1/100,000 of population compared with the average 1.4/100,000 for n

Financing has been found for a major highway upgrade project for Pakistan. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is lending US$197 million to Pakistan’s National Highway Development Project for Balochistan. The loan will be used to upgrade the Zhob-Mughal Kot and Qila Saifullah Waghum highways. At present these highways feature just two lanes, but the improvement works will see them being widened and improved, so as to increase capacity and also upgrade safety. The wider aim of the project is to help generate ec

Plans are in hand in East Africa for a new 1,600km highway that will boost trade and transport in the region. The new road will run from the Kenyan port of Mombasa to Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. The highway will be of particular importance to landlocked Rwanda as it will provide an important new route for trade and transport. The Transport ministries of Kenya and Rwanda will work together on the project, which will also involve the transport ministry in Uganda. The six lane highway will feature sophistic

Work is now underway on Algeria’s new 62km highway in Batna. The project was opened officially by the Algerian president. The US$567 million project will connect with Algeria’s key East-West highway and forms part of the president's 2005-2025 programme of works. The first section of the new highway will be split into two lots, linking the provinces of Batna, Khenchela and Oum El Bouaghi.

A loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) worth US$800 million will help pay for a series of major road upgrades in Sri Lanka. The remaining $106 million required for the project will be provided by the Sri Lankan Government. The funding will pay for works to 2,200km of provincial and local roads as well as 400km of national roads. The work will help provide proper road connections to around 1,000 villages, with the loan being supplied in a series of payments. The first $100 million payment will be made

A new survey of car crashes cites inattention as the leading cause. The study was carried out by Allianz Global Assistance and the Allianz technical centre and focussed on driver behaviour. The report revealed that around one third of car accidents are due to inattention, with 60% of drivers admitting that using mobile phones while driving is the leading reason for inattention. Meanwhile a further 40% of drivers admitted they talk on the phone while behind the wheel. Even more worryingly, 30% of drivers adm

Equipment manufacturer Hyundai Heavy Industries has published optimistic results in the financial report for its construction equipment operations. The firm’s Annual Report 2013 said that the global construction market slowed in 2013 as economic uncertainty in the US and Europe continued and China maintained its tight credit policies to keep growth in check. In emerging markets such as the Middle East, Brazil, Russia, and Africa, falling international raw materials prices combined with a market slump in th

The Australian National Road and Motorists Association (NRMA) has published a report highlighting a widening gap in national funds available for road maintenance, a gap which the motoring group says has already reached Aus $3.78 billion. The association is calling on the Federal Government to allocate more fuel excise revenue to road projects, saying up to half of the current 38.1 cents per litre is required to fund the ‘black hole’.

A series of tenders for major highway, tunnel and road repair projects are being opened in Brazil. The country’s national transport infrastructure department, DNIT, has set out plans for a series of tenders, all of which form part of phase 2 of the country's growth acceleration plan, PAC. The first of the key projects opening for tender will be the new Morro dos Cavalos tunnel, which will be constructed in the southern state of Santa Catarina. This 1.36km tunnel will be built in the city of Palhoça and form

A loan worth US$500 million from the World Bank's International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) will help improve road connections in India. The funding will be directed towards India's National Highways Inter-connectivity Improvement Project (NHIIP), a programme of works aimed at improving routes in some rural or remote areas of the country. The NHIIP plan involves upgrading around 1,120km of National Highways in some of the country’s the low-income states such as Bihar, Orissa and Rajasthan

Colombian contractor Mario Huertas Cotes and Costa Rican company MECO will carry out construction work on Costa Rica’s Cartagena to Barranquilla highway. The highway stretch measures some 146.7km long and the contract is worth US428.9 million. The two construction companies have come together to carry out the contract jointly and won the deal with a low priced bid.

Official data from the German Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reveals that in 2013, the country had the highest number of crashes since reunification. In all some 2.4 million crashes were reported to police, an increase of 0.5% from the figures recorded for 2012. But while the number of crashes grew, the number of fatalities on German roads fell to 3,339, a drop of 7.3% from 2012. This is the lowest annual road fatality rate since the country commenced compiling official records in 1953. Meanwhile the