News

The authorities in Oman are setting out plans for a major new highway project to improve connectivity in the country. The tender process is underway for the project management contract for the Batinah Expressway. Oman's Ministry of Transport and Communications is inviting bids from consultancy firms to manage the project, which will be divided into six construction packages. The 265km link will extend the Muscat Expressway to Khatmat Malaha, located in the border between the country and the UAE. Worth US$2.

Both in Thailand and Morocco the authorities are looking separately at ways in which road safety can be improved. The two countries face similar problems with regard to road safety and have, independently, embarked on similar paths with a view to resolving the issue. Morocco’s Works and Transport Ministry is setting up a think tank that will attempt to tackle the country’s growing rate of road fatalities. The Moroccan Government intends to ban the use of unroadworthy vehicles and will further amend the cou

A new road in Bolivia is planned to improve connections between Montero and Yapacani. A loan worth US$122 million for the project is being provided by the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB). Work on this four-lane road is being managed by Bolivia's road company ABC and the tender process is expected to open shortly. The 70km section of road will form part of the new Santa Cruz-Cochabamba highway. At present Bolivia's road network has a total length of 74,831km and this new highway project will help impr

Topcon Positioning Systems (TPS) is working with the Vatican and Pope Benedict XVI to develop the Person and Technological Innovation program for agriculture. The program is designed to introduce young people in developing countries to technologies and applications of precise positioning in the global agriculture markets. Initial training will be conducted at the TPS training facilities in Modena, Italy. Countries targeted for the first projects will be Cameroon, Ethiopia and Ghana.

Plans are in hand in Israel to widen a 21km stretch of the Road 6 highway and strong interest has been shown in the tender process. Also known as the Cross-Israel Highway and the Yitzhak Rabin Highway, Road 6 is a major transport artery for the country. The construction work required would be for widening of sections 3 and 7 of Road 6 and the project is worth US$880.6 million and also includes a 35 year concession to operate the route. Shafir Civil and Marine Engineering and Ashtrom Properties are now submi

Wacker Neuson (WN) achieved record nine month revenues in the year to September 30, 2012 – while also recording a slight year-on-year rise in Q3 2012. Group revenue in the first nine months of 2012 rose 12% to €812.6 million, compared to €727.6 million in 2011. Light equipment and compact equipment were the strongest sections, reporting increases of 10% and 14% respectively. The Americas was the strongest regional revenue driver, with a rise of 22%. In Europe, revenue grew by 8%. However, WN Group revenue f

In Peru the Brazilian contractor Odebrecht is now setting out plans for a US$500 million package of works to upgrade the prime road network around capital Lima. In all some 144km of roads will be improved under the terms of the deal, which Odebrtecht was recently awarded by the Peruvian authorities. Key links seeing upgrades will be the Panamericana Norte, Panamericana Sur and Ramiro Priale highways. The work is planned for the 2013-2015 period. Odebrecht has been awarded the concessions for the highways fo

J. Murphy & Sons Ltd has been appointed by DP World to deliver junction improvement works on the A13/A1014 interchange road - a critical link into the London Gateway site in south east England. The London Gateway project near Stanford-le-Hope in Essex will comprise a deep water container port, Europe’s largest Logistics Park and a new access road linking the park to The Manorway (A1014) at Sorrel’s Roundabout.

A major new expressway will link Tizi-Ouzou in Algeria to the country’s East-West highway. The local authorities have been given a budget of US$623 million for the project. The expressway will connect to the East-West highway at Bouira. The project forms part of the 2010-14 five year plan and is required as the existing route linking Tizi-Ouzou to the East-West highway, the TN 12, is now carrying more vehicles than it was designed for. Meanwhile a feasibility study has been completed for a new six-lane high

Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and Cummins are setting up a joint venture to produce engines in South Korea for the earthmoving equipment market. The two companies are investing US$33 million each into the project, which will be called Hyundai Cummins Engine Company and will have its factory located in Daegu. Production is scheduled to commence in 2014, with capacity reaching 50,000 engines/year once the facility is fully commissioned. This factory will provide HHI with a steady supply of high quality engi

The America Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) has honoured Astec Industries founder Don Brock with a lifetime award as a leader in the transportation design and construction industry. As a result ARTBA’s annual innovation event and awards programme has been renamed the, “Dr J Don Brock TransOvation Workshop & Awards Programme.” In 2011, the ARTBA-TDF created the TransOvation event to help foster innovative thinking within the transportation design and construction industry and publicly reco