News

UK’s cause for concern
June 25, 2012
Mineral Products Association (MPA) results for the first quarter of 2012 indicate a substantial reduction in sales of aggregates, ready-mixed concrete and asphalt, confirming new GDP figures showing that declining construction activity has triggered the UK’s latest recession. Compared with the same period of 2011, sales volumes of crushed rock and sand and gravel aggregates declined by 13% and 12% respectively in the first three months of 2012, and sales volumes of ready-mixed concrete and asphalt fell by 9
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Loan for Bosnia project
June 25, 2012
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has granted a €150million sovereign-guaranteed loan for the construction of part of the new Banja Luka–Doboj motorway in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The loan-targeted motorway section is the main east–est link in Republika Srpska, one of the country’s entities. The EBRD said that it will also support the preparation of the first public–private partnership (PPP) project for the main north–south link in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Doboj to Vukosavlje seg
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Russian road deals
June 25, 2012
The new eastern bypass for Khabarovsk in Russia is being discussed by the local authorities. The 30km highway will feature four lanes and will connect the Chita–Khabarovsk (M-58) and Khabarovsk–Vladivostok (M-60) highways. It will also link with roads in the city at nine interchanges. The highway will have a speed limit of 140km/h. The project will be run on a public–private partnership basis and will cost US$540million. The government will provide 20–25% of the finances required, with the rest coming from
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Albania funding
June 25, 2012
In Albania the government is giving its approval for an €80million (US$104.4million) loan being provided by the European Investment Bank (EIB). The project is for the Fier bypass, which forms part of the Tirana–Vlora highway. The project has faced a series of delays since work commenced a number of years ago. However, this new funding will help ensure that the work is completed.
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Czech roads get quality assurance
June 25, 2012
In the Czech Republic the road authorities are looking to address quality issues that have caused problems on the country’s roads and highways. The Czech Roads and Motorways Directorate (RSD) plans to check the quality of highways using vehicle-mounted scanning laser technology. This will allow RSD to launch repairs before potholes are formed.
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Romanian road plans
June 25, 2012
AECOM’s UK transport team has been selected to develop a masterplan for the Romanian national transport system. An assessment of the short, medium and long-term outlook for the country’s transport system will form part of the masterplan. It will also contain sustainability-conscious infrastructure and policy recommendations for all transport modes.
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New Forth Road Bridge
June 25, 2012
Halcrow has been appointed by Transport Scotland to develop a bridge operating company contract to manage and maintain the new Forth Replacement Crossing and the existing Forth Road Bridge. The £1.6million commission, won in the face of stiff competition under Transport Scotland’s multiple framework agreement, runs to December 2014. “Halcrow’s proven expertise as a client advisor helped us to deliver a winning proposition that targeted our client’s needs,” said Donald Bell, Halcrow’s client manager. “Our ro
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TRA2012 attracts over 1,600 delegates
June 25, 2012
More than 1,600 people took part in four days of transport research topic discussion at the TRA2012 conference in Athens, Greece. The event between 23rd-26th April included a special focus on infrastructure, with large numbers of FEHRL (Forum of European National Highway Research Laboratories) members taking part in different sessions.
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Road safety challenge for Europe
June 25, 2012
The latest official figures on road safety in Europe are giving cause for concern, with data showing that casualty reduction has slowed. EU transport commissioner Siim Kallas recently announced disappointing progress in casualty reduction on Europe's roads. The joint European police association, TISPOL, has added that it is also concerned that improvements in cutting fatalities on Europe’s roads significantly slowed in 2011. The overall figure shows a reduction of just 2% in the total number of people kille
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LiuGong goes Dutch with new European HQ
June 25, 2012
LiuGong Machinery Corporation has officially opened its European headquarters in Almere, Netherlands. The near 4,000m² site is situated about 35km from Amsterdam and is said to have convenient access to European cities via air, sea and highway. The European headquarters will serve as the Chinese firm’s sales hub, technical support and spare parts distribution centre for existing and potential customers. “This new office will strengthen our presence as a top construction equipment manufacturer brand, and to
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New focus on UK road safety
June 25, 2012
A key stage in improving the UK’s road safety has been achieved with the establishment of a new Road Safety Audit Certificate of Competency. The move sees the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) & the Society of Road Safety Auditors (SoRSA) are to award this Road Safety Audit Certificate of Competency on behalf of the Highways Agency (HA). EC Directives will require at least one member of a Road Safety Audit Team to hold a Certificate of Competency (CoC) when undertaking a Road Safety
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New road safety database for Latin American and Caribbean nations
June 25, 2012
A new road safety database is being developed for Latin America and Caribbean countries. The database forms part of a policy for the development of effective, evidence-based road safety plans. This drive lies at the centre of an initiative unveiled by the International Transport Forum at the OECD, the World Bank, the Ministries of Interior of Spain and Argentina, and the Ministry of Health of Mexico in Bogotá, Colombia. A Memorandum of Understanding to establish a new database covering road safety data for
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Rebuild of Azerbaijan highways estimated to cost over US$38.2bn
June 25, 2012
Reconstruction of all Azerbaijan’s highways will cost at least US$38.2billion (AZN 30bn), according to the national ministry of transport. The overall length of highways across the country is 20,000km, with reconstruction works predicted to take up to 15 years.
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Shandong, China gets US$815.48mn for 2012 roads development
June 25, 2012
China's Shandong province has set aside US$815.48million (CNY 5.16bn) for road developments in 2012, up 10.44% from its road development allocation in 2011. It will see Shandong's road network reaching 245,000km, according to its 2011-2015 plans. The financial department of the province disclosed that the funds will be mainly used for safety construction, equipment purchase, road expansion and maintenance.
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PNG US$3.3bn road infrastructure loan approved ‘in-principle’
June 25, 2012
EXIM Bank of China has approved in-principle an initial US$3.30billion loan (PGK 7bn) for infrastructure development in Papua New Guinea. Of the amount, PGK 1bn will be for a new four-lane highway connecting Lae to Nadzab, PGK 2bn for the highway from Gulf to Southern Highlands and PGK 4bn for rebuilding the Highlands Highway. The loan has a low interest rate of 2% for soft loan and 3.5% fir commercial loan.
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