News

After many delays work is now progressing on the expansion of Bulgaria’s highway network. The authorities in Sofia plan to commence construction of the 33km Vratsa-Botevgrad link in the west of the country and the project is expected to cost in the region of €188 million. Meanwhile Turkish input is to be withdrawn from the Ruse-Svilengrad highway project. However, Qatar and Bulgaria remain committed to the project, which will eventually provide a link between Romania and Greece. Running through Bulgaria, th

The government of Papua New Guinea (PNG) will this month begin maintenance works on the Highlands Highway after receiving US$ 46.12 million from AusAID of Australia. The works are to be carried out by contractors Covec PNG and Shorncliffe PNG, and are scheduled to be completed in October 2015.

Several leading Italian and international funds and industrial groups are reportedly looking into the feasibility of uniting all the major motorway construction projects in the north-east of Italy. The aim of the scheme would be to buy into the capital of one of the holdings and then work to buy stakes in the other firms, which are currently mostly under state control. The conglomeration of the three major firms Serravalle, Autostrada Serenissima and Autovie Venete, to be carried out over five years, would

China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) is to build the second road bridge in Hengqing, China. A total of US$385.32 million has been budgeted for the two year build. On completion, the bridge will span 6.58km.

The World Bank's board of directors has approved a decision to loan Ukraine US$450 million to finance a project improving the condition and quality of the country’s roads and national road safety. A key element of the project is major repairs to the Kiev - Kharkov highway section between Lubny and Poltava. The World Bank previously provided a $ 400 million loan for earlier stages of the road improvement and highway safety project, which began in 2009.

In Malaysia, the government has introduced supplementary police officer services in shopping centres in a bid to cut vehicle crimes in their car parks. The service will be introduced in Suria KLCC, Pavilion, Tropicana City Mall and Sunway Pyramid shopping centres.

It will cost US$ 7 billion over the next 20 years to maintain the US state of North Dakota’s township and county roads, according to a new study by the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute (UGPTI) at North Dakota State University. The study highlights how the roads have been affected by truck traffic following the growth in North Dakota's economy. A similar survey was done by the UGPTI in 2010. Spending worth $654 million was suggested on road upkeep for the coming 24 months.

The Serbian government has reported that it is planning to sign a loan agreement with China's Exim Bank for new loans worth US$ 1.1 billion for construction of the Corridor 11 motorway. Minister of Finance, Mladan Dinkic, said that the loan will be used for construction of the Belgrade-Ljig and Pojate Preljina motorway parts. The contract agreement is due to be signed by the end of 2012 or beginning of 2013. Works are expected to start sometime next year.

A total of US $ 91.22 million (PHP 3.8 billion) has been released by the Department of Budget and Management to develop tourism roads nationwide, as well as infrastructure development in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Of the overall investment, $56.58 million is for the building of roads to tourist destinations, while the remainder of the money will go on developing water systems, bridges, ports, and roads in ARMM.

In Chile the authorities are working on plans to improve transport links between capital Santiago and the nearby port of Valparaiso. The Chilean Ministry of Public Works intends to widen the existing Route 68, the main road connecting the Metropolitan and Valparaiso regions. The project will increase the road's capacity by at least 30%. Spanish contractor Abertis will work on the expansion, which includes includes the construction of a third tunnel in Lo Prado. The tunnel should improve traffic flow around

The Zambian Government is launching its Link Zambia-8000 project, which is intended to improve transport within the country. Costing US$5.37 billion this is a five-year project intended to improve connections between the country's 10 provinces. Outlying areas will be provided with better transport links to major conurbations under the scheme, which will also help the country’s extraction industry. Of the total $5.37 billion, $1.57 billion will be for the first phase, $2.24 billion for the second phase and $

A key highway project worth in excess of US$364 million has been revealed in Vietnam. The first package of works for the upgrades to National Highway 20 was awarded by the Ministry of Transport of Vietnam to contractor, Management Board 7. The company will carry out work worth some $220 million, which involves building a 123km road as well as 16 bridges that will link Highway 725 in Lam Dong to Dau Giay Junction in Dong Nai Province. The work is being carried out under a build, operate and transfer type con

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.

Concern has been expressed in the UK over the release of accident statistics for 2011 that reveal an increase in road fatalities over the previous year. This is the first national rise in road deaths and serious injuries in 17 years. In all 1,901 people died on the UK’s roads in 2011, an increase of 3% of the figures for 2010 while those seriously injured rose 2% to 23,122. Interestingly, the number of fatalities fell for three types of road user, with a fall of 22% for bus and coach occupants, 10% for moto