News

Mexico has plans for massive infrastructure investment
July 19, 2013
Mexico’s Government has plans for a massive programme of infrastructure improvements across the country. In all some US$314 billion will be invested in infrastructure, of which $47 billion will be targeted at improving the country’s transportation network. Mexico’s national transport and communications ministry, SCT, will manage the projects which include works for highways and airports. The plans are expected to include a combination of private and public funding sources, although further details have yet
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World Bank investment in Nepalese links
July 19, 2013
The World Bank is providingUS$99 million in funding to Nepal for a major transport project. The funding will come in the form of loans and grant assistance and is aimed at the Nepal-India Regional Trade and Transport Project (NIRTTP). This project includes the improvements to the Birgunj-Kathmandu corridor as well as the construction of a series of upgrades of the existing Narayanghat-Mugling road. The work will also include the construction of a logistics centre. The loans are worth $72 million while $27 m
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Mott MacDonald to upgrade major west Spain highway
July 17, 2013
Mott MacDonald (MM) has been appointed by Sociedad Concesionaria Autovía de la Plata as lender’s technical advisor for a major highway upgrade in western Spain. The project involves the design, construction, maintenance, operation and finance of a 49km two-lane dual carriageway between Benavente and Zamora. The new road, which will bypass the existing single carriageway through local villages, will form the last section of the 809km A-66 Autovía de la Plata highway, connecting Gijon in the north to Seville
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Brazil government to create national electronic toll payment?
July 17, 2013
The Brazilian government is considering setting up a national electronic toll payment system. The favoured system will be based on the state of Sao Paulo's solution, which uses an electronic tagging system installed in each vehicle to charge for payments. The proposed national toll payment aims to cover the nation's roads and to track cargo in railways, airports and ports. Brazilian planning and logistics company EPL will be responsible for setting up this tagging system, which is already used by 55% of veh
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UK government’s Highways Agency makeover to boost infrastructure
July 17, 2013
The government plans to turn the Highways Agency into a Network Rail-style public company as part of its efforts to boost national transport infrastructure. While the government has revealed plans for a long-term investment totalling €32.37 billion (£28 billion) in road-building, few projects are ‘shovel-ready’, with much of the investment backloaded until 2020. Funding levels will increase to more than €3.46 billion (£3 billion) a year by the end of the decade for major A-roads and motorways. The legislati
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Salini secures key Kazakhstan highways work
July 17, 2013
Salini and its subsidiary Todini Costruzioni Generali have been awarded a US$386.43 million contract to build four stretches of the Almaty-Khorgos motorway in Kazakhstan. In the same country, Salini and Todini have also been awarded a $120.51 million contract for the construction of a stretch on the Almaty Ust-Kamenogorsk road. A third contract valued at $31.43 million awarded to Salini-Impregilo involves the construction of a 70km road stretch north of Free Town, in Sierra Leone.
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Chinese firms are proving active in Africa
July 17, 2013
Chinese firms continue to handle key deals in Africa, with agreements now in place for major projects in both East and West Africa. In Ethiopia, China's MCC 17 Group will handle a US$53 million package of works for the Ethiopian Roads Authority. This deal is for the construction of a 91.6km section of road linking Mizan with Dima. Construction work is due to commence in August 2013 and the new road will connect with Addis Abeba. The road forms part of a 260km link that will connect Mizan to Boma in South Su
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Parsons wins major deal for Doha Expressway
July 17, 2013
Parsons is now working on a design and construction supervision contract for Package 9 of the Doha Expressway project. This is a major contract and is the second of these packages for the expressway awarded to the firm in less than 9 months. This latest part of the Doha Expressway Project is split three separate components, each involving upgrading roads and intersections in the most congested parts of Doha, Qatar. The three projects within this package will include the construction of 33km of roads and 29
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Queensland agrees Brisbane bridge and motorway deal
July 17, 2013
The authorities in Queensland, Australia have agreed a 50-year deal over the tolling rights for the Go Between bridge and the Legacy Way motorway in Brisbane. The agreement was settled by the Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC). Under the terms of the deal, Brisbane City Council will be paid by QIC-owned Queensland Motorways Limited (QML) from A$1.08 billion to A$1.58 billion over a seven year period. Brisbane City Council will retain ownership of the tunnel and bridge and the plan is to use the revenue
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Sennebogen 6130 HD crawler crane’s Austrian gravel extraction
July 16, 2013
A Sennebogen 6130 HD duty cycle crawler crane is said to be being successfully used by Gral Schotter to extract gravel near Graz, Austria. In the Wundschuh gravel pit, the 6130 HD model is working in dragline bucket operation. At an extraction depth of 13m the crawler crane is said to be penetrating particularly hard layers, a key reason why Gral Schotter was keen to use a duty cycle crawler crane of its size. An impressive 354kW is provided by the model’s diesel engine. The 6130 HD’s two powerful winches e
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Investment from Taiwan will boost Guatemala’s transport infrastructure
July 16, 2013
Financing from Taiwan will help develop road infrastructure in Guatemala. Both the Taiwanese Government and private Taiwanese sources are supplying funding streams to Guatemala for transport infrastructure development. The Taiwanese Government is donating US$50 million to help improve the section of the Atlantico road connecting Sanarate and El Rancho. Taiwan is also providing a further $50 million in the shape of a loan for the project. This loan will be repayable over a 20 year period. The Atlantico road
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Sri Lanka benefiting from external highway investment
July 16, 2013
Key highway projects in Sri Lanka are now moving forward. Chinese investment will finance a new tolled highway in Sri Lanka. The project for the US$1.5 billion tolled highway is being handled jointly by China Merchants Hua Jian Highway Investment Company and China Merchants Holdings (International) Company. The agreement is to build and operate the highway over a 25-30 year period, and which will be constructed in four separate phases. The first phase will be from Enderamulla to Ambepussa, with the second f
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Financing has been assured for a key road upgrade in Mozambique
July 16, 2013
Financing for a road project in Mozambique is being provided by a bank in India. The Exim Bank of India is proving a line of credit worth some US$147.7 million for the road upgrade project. Mozambique is seeing steady investment in its infrastructure and this latest project will improve transport links in the country.
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VDMA: “No reason for any worries” in construction equipment market
July 16, 2013
There is “no reason for any worries” in the global construction equipment and building material manufacturing industry despite a lack of growth in 2013, according to the German-based VDMA association. In a release issued after the association’s summer board meeting in Hameln, northern Germany, a VDMA spokesperson said, “Bauma, the industry’s leading international fair held in April, in particular helped to change the industry’s mood significantly. Directly or indirectly it led to a great number of new order
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Efficient highway bridge demolition with breakers
July 16, 2013
As this video clip shows, efficient bridge demolition work has a lot to do with effective planning. Bringing down this defunct bridge over a busy highway called for careful planning so as to minimise traffic disruption. Proper preparation allowed engineers to make the site ready for a closure of the highway, with the bridge then being brought down within a tight timeframe. Having sufficient excavators fitted with hydraulic breakers was a key component in ensuring that the work could be carried out in time,
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