News

Strong interest is being shown in the coming Eurasphalt & Eurobitume Congress. Pavement durability and reduced temperature asphalt technologies are key topics of the Eurasphalt & Eurobitume Congress 2012, to be held this June in Istanbul from 13th-15th June 2012. This fifth Eurasphalt & Eurobitume Congress (E&E 2012) already has a strong line-up of speakers and delegates, with the programme being fine-tuned to meet expectations. Over 800 delegates are expected to attend the event, which will provide detaile

A new 1km long tunnel is being planned to help reduce congestion in Skopje, capital of Macedonia. The tunnel will be built by Turkish contractor Limak. The contractor will also build its own commercial development above the tunnel as part of the agreement. The cost of the tunnel project is not available at this point.

The Productivity Committee in Sweden has presented a commission report to the country’s government criticising how it invests in roads and railways. The independent body’s report also highlights three areas where changes are needed to revitalise the construction sector: better forward planning; more turnkey contracts; and an industrial approach to civil engineering construction.

Engine manufacturer DEUTZ claims record results for its latest financial year. The firm says that the 2011 financial year was one of the best in its history even though the global economy deteriorated, particularly in the second half of the year. The firm beat the forecast that it had made at the start of 2011 and revised upwards during the course of the year. Revenue rose by 28.6% to €1.53 billion, compared with €1.12 billion in the previous year. This set a new revenue record for the current corporate str

The Heartland Expressway, a postponed highway project connecting Rapid City with Denver in the US, will take 20 years to finish. The 498-mile expressway will become the central part of the Great Plains International Trade Corridor. An investment of over US$500 million is forecast to be required for the four-lane highway project, which will stretch between Rapid City and Limon, Colombia.

Cities all over Britain and Europe will be invited to embrace electric driving and encourage their communities to support Nissan’s campaign – ‘The Big Turn On’ – in a bid to win 30 quick chargers from the company. The quick chargers are part of a wider initiative from Nissan to get one million consumers switched onto electric driving in just 100 days. The basis of the campaign is to engage the public and support their city’s bid to win a new electric driving infrastructure from Nissan. These chargers can re

Colombia's Transport minister Miguel Peñaloza said the government intends to award key national motorway maintenance contracts from June 2013, starting with the contract for the section between La Pintada and La Manuela, part of Autopistas de la Prosperidad. The second contract would be awarded in December of the same year, said Peñaloza, with all contracts due to last be six years. ISA will not be taking part in any of the projects.

Discussions are underway in Switzerland at present over options for maintaining and upgrading the Gotthard Road Tunnel in the 2020-2025 period. One option is likely to cost some €539.65 million (CHF 650 million), requiring the tunnel to be closed for a 30 month period. The other option is likely to cost €752 million and will see the work carried out in stages over a 42 month stretch. For this second option, the tunnel would remain open during the summer period so as to allow it to carry the higher volumes o

New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has told Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee that the completion of the government's roads of national significance programme might be pushed to 2024, as certain key motorway projects could take up to three years longer than anticipated. Under the NZ$9 billion (US$6.92 billion) plus programme, NZ$2.40 billion will be used for the Waikato Expressway; followed by another $2 billion for Auckland Western Ring Route including Waterview Connection; $1.76 billion for the highway b

Engineering specialist AECOM will carry out a study into the proposed Lower Thames Crossing project in the UK.

National Post, 12 Jun 2012, online:- Up to US$535.76million (CAD 550mn) has been offered by the Canadian government towards the US$973.75million (CAD 1bn) construction of Detroit River International Crossing bridge between Windsor, Ontario and the US city of Detroit. The construction of the bridge is due for completion by 2016.

The New South Wales (NSW) government in Australia will invest AD $5 billion (US $4.95 billion) to build and maintain critical road and maritime infrastructure across NSW as part of the 2012/13 State Budget. “This year’s budget includes a significant investment aimed at tackling congestion in our busy city areas and improving our rural and regional network with major commitments to the Pacific, Princes, Hume and Great Western highways,” said NSW roads and ports minister Duncan Gay.

Emulbitume has opened a manufacturing plant in Brazil as it looks to develop its South American market position. The French firm, which specialises in the design, manufacture and commissioning of bitumen emulsion production units and macerator pumps, said its new production site in Uberaba, western Brazil, will enable it to offer a full range of products to Latin America customers, including units for laboratories and a wide range of production devices.

Funding for vital highway construction and repair projects in Rwanda has been approved as part of the country’s budget for 2012/13. The government will have more than US$ 2.18billion (RWF 1.30tn) to work with with the infrastructure sector, including highways development, being allocated just over 23% of that total. Among highways projects due to receive budgeted funding are: