News

US Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John L. Mica (R-FL) announced recently that House and Senate conferees are concluding a bicameral, bipartisan agreement on a major transportation bill. The measure focuses on unprecedented reforms by cutting red tape and consolidating federal transportation programmes. The tentative agreement establishes federal highway, transit and highway safety policy and keeps programmes at current funding levels through the end of fiscal year 2014. Unlike the last

Road Safety Foundation (RSF) director, Dr Joanne Marden, has urged the government to get road safety policies “back on track” after new official figures revealed the first annual UK road casualty increase for eight years. The figures, contained in a government report titled Reported Road Casualties in Great Britain: 2011, show that the annual number of people killed in road accidents increased by 3% from 1,850 in 2010 to 1,901 in 2011 – the first increase since 2003 despite a levelling off of vehicle traff

Plans are moving ahead for New Zealand's Transmission Gully highway project. The country’s Environmental Protection Agency has given its final approval for the construction of the 27km Transmission Gully project, which is expected to cost in the region of US$732.4 million (NZ$930 million). The project will be the largest road deal in Wellington region since the late 1970s and one of the largest infrastructure projects in New Zealand.

The World Bank (WB) is providing funds worth US$60 million to help Nepal build and repair bridges. The money will be used to build 121 new bridges and maintain 426 existing bridges that provide connections on Nepal’s Strategic Road Network (SRN). This budget has been set under the WB’s lending mechanism, project for result (P4R). The sum will help Nepal tackle repairs to 89 bridges that are in need of urgent major maintenance and 95 that require minor maintenance. Road officials in Nepal are also setting ou

Bidding is opening on a major new highway project in Tunisia. The country’s works ministry is launching an international call to tender for construction of the 180km highway linking Gabès, Médenine and Ras Jedir. Work is expected to last three years and will create 2,000 jobs. The project, which will be completed at the beginning of 2017, is expected to cost over US$631 million in total. The Gabès-Médenine stretch is expected to cost $ 347 million and will be financed by the Tunisian State and the Japanese

Bidding is now open for a key new highway connection in Israel. The tender is for upgrade work on the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem Highway Road 1. Israel National Roads Co (INRC) is upgrading this key link and the tender is for the second stretch of work. So far, INRC received three bids for the contract. The project involves the construction of an interchange at the Neve Ilan intersection. Bids for work on the highway have been submitted by Eyal Sela 1991, Gili and Yoel Azaria as well as Shafir Civil and Marine Engi

The incoming president of the Institute of Highway Engineers (IHE) has called for the UK to consider banning HGVs from its motorways on Sundays. Richard Hayes, who takes up his new role at the IHE AGM tomorrow, said he will be writing to the Roads Minister, Mike Penning, to request the Department of Transport investigates a possible ban. Hayes said several mainland European Union countries impose restrictions on the times and days when HGVs can be driven on public roads. France, Spain and Italy have a gene

UK construction sector firms are being urged to attend an event outlining commercial opportunities linked to the development of US$140 billion worth of infrastructure projects in Qatar ahead of the Gulf state’s hosting of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. During MEED’s Qatar Infrastructure Projects conference, being held at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel in London from July 2-5, Middle East company formation experts The Links Group will provide insight to companies interested in entering the Qatari project market.

The Danish consultant Cowi is working on a study for Norway’s Rogfast Tunnel, which will be the world's longest and deepest tunnel. The 25km tunnel is planned to open to traffic in 2021. It will cost some €1.08 billion to construct. Cowi has landed contracts for preliminary studies but is also keen to take on a portion of detailed planning.

Works on Serbia’s Strazevica tunnel is due for completion in May 2012. The tunnel forms part of the Belgrade ring road. Serbia’s government is also planning to finish the construction of a total of 200km of the Corridor 10 motorway, following the completion of the Strazevica–Bubanj and Batajnica–Dobanovci sections. Work on the remaining 130km will commence soon. Meanwhile, work on the Ljig–Preljina section of Corridor 11 is now underway.

Work is on schedule for a new tunnel for the Corridor Vc highway in Bosnia and Herzogovina. The link will be from Drivusa to Kakanj and is due for completion in February 2014. The project is worth some €62million. The contract is being carried out by Slovenian firm Primorje.

The company handling the Fehmarnbelt tunnel project that will connect Denmark and Germany has confirmed that the project will now be delayed. Femern has revealed that construction will not start before summer 2015, a year later than originally planned. Denmark is expected to commence its environmental compatibility study in May 2013.

Fugro Aperio collected and processed data from up to 7,000km lanes of English trunk roads as part of a just completed Traffic Speed Structural Survey (TRASS) contract. The work, commissioned by TRL on behalf of the Highways Agency (HA), saw the Cambridge-based survey specialist gain information using the HA’s Traffic Speed Deflectometer (TSD). The innovative TSD technology uses Doppler lasers to measure the speed at which the pavement deflects in response to load. The non-contact IT allows surveys to be con

Not all drivers are aware of height restrictions

The authorities in Chile plan to invest some US$500 million for improving the road links within capital Santiago. The work will focus on the east of the fast growing city and includes eight separate projects intended to ease traffic congestion, with the first due to commence in October 2012. The projects include a tunnel under Mapoco river connecting Costanera Norte and the Central motorway, two new bridges over Manquehue and Kennedy avenue and works on La Concepcion exit. The Perez Zujovic roundabout will