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UK road safety charity Brake has renewed calls for tougher charges and penalties for drivers who kill and injure following the publication of British government criminal justice figures for 2013. The figures show the large proportion of drivers who kill and seriously injure being let off with relatively low penalties, reinforcing the importance of a forthcoming review of charges and penalties, recently announced by government. In total, 438 drivers were convicted of causing death or bodily harm. Just over

St Petersburg authorities are seeking investors for a proposed €2.84 billion (RUB 133 billion) multi-lane city highway. Further investment worth €104.64 million (RUB 4.9 billion) is sought for paid parking lots in the city centre. Both projects are among a number of new planned infrastructure projects in St Petersburg worth combined more than €5.66 billion (RUB 263 billion). Other projects include a high speed tram connection on the Kirovsky Zavod - Baltic Pearl route, a new ice skating facility, the upg

With a deficit of US$58 billion in infrastructure, ranging from highways to ports and airports, Chile's priority should be urbanisation, according to Javier Hurtado, head of studies at national construction chamber CChC. "Today, over 80% of Chileans live in cities. Urban areas are where a significant part of the economy and life happens. So if you want to make real improvements to quality of life, focus on urban areas," Hurtado said in an interview with BNamericas. In the same interview, Hurtado cited a n

China Major Bridge Engineering Company (CMBE) has won the US$1.55 billion contract to build the main structure of Bangladesh's Padma bridge. A 100-year guarantee will be provided by CMBE for the 10km long 25m wide bridge as part of the contract secured from the Bangladeshi government. According to Bangladesh's Finance Minister Ama Muhith, a formal agreement will be signed with CMBE at some stage in June 2014. Around 6.15km of Padma bridge will be constructed over Padma river, with the remainder built on

Malaysia is set to get six new toll roads worth a combined US$6.24 billion (MYR 20 billion) within the next 18 months. Further planned projects include the extension of Duta-Ulu Kelang Expressway (Duke) worth $269.69 million (MYR 1.18bn), West Coast Expressway (WCE) worth $1.14 billion (MYR 5.04bn), Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidek) worth $571.39 million (MYR 2.5bn), East Klang Valley Expressway, Sungai Besi-Ulu Kelang elevated expressway (Suke) worth $955.36 million (MYR 4.18bn) and Damansara-Shah Ala

Russia is to invest more than €860 million in the construction and renovation of motorways and airports ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The country’s Prime Minister, Dmitry Medvedev, has signed a funding provision decree worth over €860.14 million (RUB 40 billion) for these works over the period 2014-2016. The Federal Road Agency will receive €66.32 million (RUB 3.09bn) in 2014, €230.72 million (RUB 10.75bn) in 2015, and €195.31 million (RUB 9.1bn) in 2016. The Federal Air Transport Agency will get €119.

Strabag subsidiary Züblin has been awarded the €73 million contract to build a 700 metre section of the A 100 urban motorway in Berlin, Germany. Situated at Sonnenallee Junction, the works will see Züblin not only construct a new dual-track commuter rail bridge and a single-track long-distance railway bridge, each with 68m spans; but also set up diaphragm walls, establish underwater concrete floors, install uplift and pit lining anchors, and drive the sheet piling and bored piles. The contract also encomp

Nigeria president Goodluck Jonathan will deliver the opening address at the 1st International Road Federation Africa Regional Congress being held in Abuja on 4 June 2014. Dr Jonathan has been Nigeria's head of state since 2010, having previously served as federal vice president, as well as governor of the state of Bayelsa. Welcoming Dr Jonathan’s confirmation as opening address speaker, IRF president & CEO Patrick Sankey said, "President Jonathan's presence is an extraordinary honour for our industry. It

A motorist travelling at 149mph (239.8kph) on the M25 at Swanley, Kent, south-east England, holds the record for the highest speed clocked by a speed camera in England and Wales between April 2013 and May 2014. The astonishing figure was revealed following Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to 39 police authorities by the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists). Other shocking figures from the 85% of police authorities that responded to the FOI request revealed that the highest speed recorded on a 30mph

Construction of a 30km bridge spanning Indonesia’s Sunda Strait would be viable according to Graha Banten Lampung Sejahtera, the consortium tasked with the project. Indonesia’s Public Works Ministry previously said the project was not feasible. Building the 30km Sunda Strait Bridge could cost US$23 billion. The structure would be designed to carry three lanes of traffic in either direction, twin rail tracks and utilities cabling for telecommunications and electricity. Although the high cost of the bridge it

The 19th Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) Survey published on 3 April 2014 reported that the estimated cost to get England and Wales’ local road network back into reasonable condition has increased to €14.47 billion (£12 billion) from €12.06 billion (£10.5 billion) in 2013. For the second year in a row, more than two million potholes (2,010,749) were filled in England and Wales over the course of the previous year.

The organisers of the INTERMAT construction equipment event in Paris are further developing the 2015 exhibition following an agreement with World of Concrete. As a result Intermat 2015 will co-host World of Concrete Europe, a show covering all stages of the concrete construction process. World of Concrete is recognised as the leading event for the concrete industry in North America. For its first occurrence in Europe, World of Concrete aims to develop the same prominence for the European, African and Middle

Foreign financing will help fund Nepal’s Kathmandu-Kulekhani-Hetaudi Tunnel Highway project. The 58km highway is expected to cost some US$375 million in all and Nepal Purbadhar Bikash Company (NPBCL) plans to raise some $273.5 million of this from foreign investors. This move comes after it NPBCL to secure funding from local investors for the project. Part of this new plan will include NPBCL lowering equity contribution from the general public and promoters to 20% from the previous 50%. NPBCL seeks to have

Plans are in hand in Sweden for key road routes featuring electric vehicle charging facilities. The plans are being set out jointly by the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket), the Swedish innovation agency Vinnova and the Swedish Energy Agency (Energimyndigheten). Four contractors are working on procurement processes for road featuring recharging capabilities. The aim of the plan is to build one or more demonstration plants to provide roads with charging capabilities in 2015. It forms part of an