News

Serbian Minister of Infrastructure, Velimir Ilic, and the director of the roads company Koridori Srbije, Dmitar Durovic, say they have signed a contract agreement with the Chinese company Shandong High Speed Group, for construction of the Corridor 11 motorway, worth a total of €257.23 million (US$ 334mn). The contract has been signed by Zhu Wei, deputy director of the Chinese company, for construction of the Ljig-Preljina part of 50km. Meanwhile, a new tender is due to be called soon for construction of the

The work on the construction of the next stretch of the A100 motorway in Berlin, Germany, is about to start. The project is expected to cost €473 million (US$616.72mn) and be completed by 2020.

The Ugandan government will next year request a US$300 million loan from different funds in Uganda in its effort to develop road infrastructure in the country, according to Yoweri Museveni, Uganda’s president. Banks in the country have been urged to offer loans. The government is reported to require US$ 15 billion in total to develop 19 roads.

Transurban-Fluor and AAA Mid-Atlantic have published an alarming report on distracted driving on the busy I-95 highway in Northern Virginia in the US. The two bodies have launched a regional campaign focused on reducing distracted driving in the 95 Express Lanes construction zone. According to the report, almost all (94%) of frequent I-95 drivers have seen someone engage in dangerous, distracted behaviour while driving on this busy commuter route. In addition, more than half (56%) of I-95 drivers use their

Survey specialist, Fugro Aperio is organising the one day Developments in Highways Assessment (DIHA 2013) conference. This event takes place on July 16th, 2013, at the Midlands Engineering Centre in the UK city of Birmingham. The use of survey data in predictive modelling for improved highways asset management will be a particular focus at the DIHA 2013 conference in July. Richard Barnes will highlight Stockport Council’s work to develop a model for strategic road maintenance investment integrating local co

The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) is providing an infrastructure loan that will help fund a key road project in Kazakhstan. A major portion of this funding will be used to construct a key 79.5km portion of the new international transit corridor connecting Western Europe with Western China. The US$1.07 billion funding package is being provided by the IBRD for 19 years with a five-year grace period and the deal was agreed between the IBRD and the Kazakhstan Government. Further

The Mott MacDonald Grontmij joint venture is working on plans for a € 189 million (£160 million) upgrade of the A63 Castle Street in the UK city of Hull. The partners were appointed by the Highways Agency to develop proposals for the scheme, which is intended to reduce journey times to the Port of Hull, ease congestion and improve safety on the city centre section of the A63. The route is currently one of the busiest sections of road in East Yorkshire. This 1.5km dual carriageway runs in an east-west direct

Criminal charges are being considered against a road contractor in Belize following extensive damage to a Mayan pyramid. The company has been accused of using rock from the 2,300 old Mayan pyramid as aggregate for a road project. Situated on private land the Nohmul complex is in the north of the Central American country and lies close to its border with Mexico. The company allegedly used excavators to remove rock from the 30m high historic temple with the material then being crushed for use as aggregate. Ar

The authorities in Vietnam are planning several key infrastructure projects, including the new Cho Chien Bridge and improvements to Provincial Road No15 amongst others. The new Cho Chien Bridge will connect Ben Tre and Vinh Long provinces and this is expected to cost in the region of US$182 million. The project will now be carried out under the PPP model instead of a BOT scheme, which had been envisaged earlier in the planning stage. This change is due to the fact that TLIC will now carry out the project in

A US$307 million highway is being built in the state of Jharkhand and West Bengal. This follows an agreement between local firm IL&FS Transportation (IL&FS) and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The deal takes the form of a concession package and will be for a 20 year period. The highway is to be constructed in around 30 months and IL&FS will then operate the route on a tolled basis once it is open to traffic. The project forms part of the National Highways Development Project (NHDP) phase V.

Plans are in hand in the Philippines to build a new road linking the international airport of capital Manila to the city and to other surrounding highways. The contract for the project was awarded to Optimal Infrastructure Development Inc (OIDI), a subsidiary of local firm San Miguel Corp (SMC). The company will build the new Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Expressway in a deal worth some US$387.25 million for the Department of Public Works and Highways. OIDI will carry out the work under the PPP

Swarco Traffic Americas has acquired the parking business unit from McCain for an undisclosed sum. This business uses LED signs, single space indicators and software to provide real-time information to motorists and parking operators. The purchase of McCain’s parking guidance system will allow Swarco Traffic Americas to broaden its product offering in the US. Swarco is already a major player in Europe and this deal strengthens its international position. The move boosts Swarco’s range of technology as McCai

Turkish contractor ENKA and its joint venture partner Bechtel have won the Best Global Project Award from US magazine Engineering News Record (ENR) for the Kosovo Route 7 highway project. The privately owned firm ENKA and Bechtel won an award in ENR’s Global Best Competition 2013 for the Project of the Year in the category for Roads and Highways around the world. Projects in several categories competed in the awards on factors such as innovation and overcoming global challenges, implementation of safety pro