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Research from business intelligence specialist Timetric suggests that the market for infrastructure construction is growing fast in the Philippine. Timetric’s data shows that infrastructure accounted for 37.3% of the country’s construction sector and was worth US$9.6 billion in 2012. The market grew at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 12.12% and is expected to reach a CAGR of 8.19% by 2017, having been boosted by the need to repair flood damage that occurred in 2012. The country’s construction ind

A note of cautious optimism can be seen at the Austrian contractor Strabag, with the release of its half year results. The company saw turnover of € 5.6 billion for the first half of 2013, a drop of 7 % from the same period for the previous year but with some of this fall coming from weather-related issues that delayed the start of construction acitivity. However the company says that the impact of the weather on its performance should be made up by the year end. Strabag is a major contractor and is Central

Scottish Roads Partnership (SRP) has been announced as preferred bidder for the design, construction, financing and operation of a major infrastructure project to complete the Central Scotland motorway network. The key project will complete the motorway network between Glasgow and Edinburgh by upgrading the A8 trunk road between Baillieston and Newhouse to full motorway standards. It also includes work to improve the Raith Interchange and widening key sections of the M8, M73 and M74. This involves constr

Ian Webb is taking over as director general of the IRF Geneva Programme Centre. This is a six month appointment and involves continuing the transition of IRF Geneva, which commenced in 2012. Webb has 32 years of experience in Australian Governmental roles and at senior level, including Roads Australia. This interim appointment comes as IRF Geneva’s acting director general Susanna Zammataro steps aside on health grounds. Zammataro will however continue to support IRF Geneva in two key areas in the coming mon

Problem tyres played a role in nearly 15% of fatal passenger car and van accidents in Finland from 2000-2009, based on the accident database kept by the Finnish Motor Insurers' Centre. During the 2000s, passenger cars and vans have been involved in 2,647 fatal road accidents. In 393 of these, the accident was caused or at least partly caused by the installation of bad or wrong type of tyres. In some accidents, there was also found to have been problems with the tyre pressure.

Poland is to benefit from a €17.5 billion investment in its transport infrastructure from 2014-2020, according to the country’s Deputy Minister for Regional Development, Adam Zdzieblo. The substantial sum is part of an over EU Infrastructure and Environment programme worth over €24.1 billion. Other than transport, areas of investment will be the same as for the previous EU programme, including health protection, culture, energy, and environmental protection. The exception is higher education, which will

The Algerian Minister of Public Works, Amar Ghoul, has called for the swift completion of studies related to the building of a new 220km motorway linking Ténès Port in Chlef province to Tissemsilt province. Ghoul says the project is seen by the Government as key to boosting Algeria’s economy, as the motorway will open up access to cities and towns, revitalise industrial zones and relieve pressure on the saturated RN19 road between Chlef and Ténès. Large viaducts and a number of interchanges will also be co

Problem tyres played a role in nearly 15% of fatal passenger car and van accidents in Finland from 2000-2009, based on the accident database kept by the Finnish Motor Insurers' Centre. During the 2000s, passenger cars and vans have been involved in 2,647 fatal road accidents. In 393 of these, the accident was caused or at least partly caused by the installation of bad or wrong type of tyres. In some accidents, there was also found to have been problems with the tyre pressure.

Nissan is working on an innovative intelligent vehicle technology it calls autonomous drive. The company believes it can make this ready for the market by 2020. The system is intended to make driving safer and more efficient, reducing the risk of crashes, increasing mobility for the disabled and elderly and also optimising driving with a reduction in fuel usage and vehicle wear. To help with the development programme, Nissan is constructing a test area where the vehicles can be driven around a series of roa

A new highway in Ethiopia will provide a key link for the country’s future economic development. The 218km Modjo-Hassan highway is expected to cost US$720 million to construct. The highway will be constructed in two stages. The first section of the route will stretch 93km from Modjo to Zeway and is expected to cost $350 million to complete. The second section of the highway will be 125km long and link Zeway with Hewassa and this stretch is estimated to cost $370 million to build. However, funding for the hi

A new highway will connect Cameroon’s key cities of Doula and Yaoundé. The 215km highway will be constructed by the Chinese contractor China First Highway Engineering, with the project costing an estimated US$579 million in all. Much of the financing for the project is being provided through a $491.5 million loan from the China Exim Bank. Scet Tunisie and Louis Berger have a partnership for the $8.36 million deal for project management of the first phase of the project, the 80km section from Yaoundé to Bot

Estonia-based TMB (formerly Tartu Maja Betoontooted), one of the leading producers of precast reinforced concrete elements in the Baltic states, is expanding its Latvian production subsidiary. Company CEO Jaan Luts said the company’s expansion follows its forecast of strong growth in the Latvian construction market. Luts said he also expects exports of precast reinforced concrete to Sweden and Norway will remain relatively high. However, exports to Finland have dropped.

Republican Congressman Bill Shuster has told a gathering of public and private sector leaders that improving and maintaining the American transport system is critical to staying globally competitive, and that a broad education process is needed to improve awareness of infrastructure needs. Shuster, chairman of the U.S. House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, was the keynote speaker at the 26 August 2013 annual meeting of Build Up Greater Cleveland (BUGC), a Northeast Ohio coalition of agencies i

The Smart Transport market is forecast to rise at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 23.6% to US$102.31 billion between 2013 and 2018, according to a new research report by MarketsandMarkets (M&M). The M&M report claims the still to be confirmed 2012 Smart Transport market value is around $26.7 billion. During the 2013-2018 period, the CIS + Eastern European, Middle East and African and Latin American Smart Transport markets are expected to grow at 31.4%, 39.1%, and 45.8%, respectively.

A new panel has been created in support of the €2.28 billion (CHF 2.8 billion) plan to build a new road tunnel alongside Switzerland’s Gotthard tunnel. The panel includes Filippo Lombardi, the president of the Council of States, and two national councillors, Olivier Français and Fabio Regazzi. The new road tunnel project will see full closure of the current 30-year-old road tunnel, one of Europe’s major north-south transit routes, for two-and-a-half years, as opposed to partial closure over a longer peri