News

Aussie demonstration for BG
June 18, 2012
A live crash demonstration of the Highway Care (HC) manufactured BarrierGuard 800 portable steel safety barrier was staged recently at Eastern Creek Raceway in Sydney, Australia. Organised by the Boylan Group, Highway Care International’s (HCI) partner, and Australia’s largest equipment hire company, Coates Hire, the event drew 200 Australian engineers, designers and road industry professionals and showcased technology already established throughout Europe.
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Noise generators for electric cars
June 18, 2012
New rules in the US mean that electric vehicles will require noise generation equipment. This covers electric vehicles and hybrids as well as motorcycles, medium and heavy trucks and buses. It specifies that the alert sound must be sufficient to allow a pedestrian to detect a nearby EV or PHEV operating at constant speed, accelerating, decelerating and operating in any other critical scenarios. It must reflect the minimum sound level emitted by a motor vehicle that is necessary to allow visually-impaired an
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Flood repairs in Nigeria
June 18, 2012
Nigeria’s Oyo State is planning to rebuild bridges damaged by flooding in Ibadan and Oyo town. Contracts have now been awarded for the work. The bridges identified for rebuilding are Apete Bridge, Ayeye Bridge, Osoro River Bridge, Ogbere Babanla Bridge, Olomi Bridge and Secretariat Road Bridge in Ibadan as well as Alaadorin Bridge and Sakutu Bridge in the town of Oyo.
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SA government looks at Gauteng e-tolling alternatives
June 18, 2012
The South African government is engaging with the private sector to review alternatives to the e-tolling system on Gauteng highways. The move was announced by the country's deputy president, Kgalema Motlanthe, who repeated his earlier assertion that the "most equitable way" to fund the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP) is via the user-pay system. He added that the underlying cause for frustration relating to the user-pay system should be resolved by engaging with the private sector.
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Driver distraction poses safety challenge
June 18, 2012
The risk of driver distraction is growing with the growth in information and communication technologies (ICT). Car manufacturers are under pressure to offer the latest technologies to maintain product strength. But at the same time firms also have to keep process of human interaction with the car simple, to reduce driver distraction.
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Panama plans
June 18, 2012
In Panama the highway operator ENA is looking for funding for work to key road stretches on the North and South corridors. The work is expected to cost US$260 million. The work will include a new 10km stretch as part of Phase II of the Brisas del Golf - 24 Diciembre road at a cost of $114 million. The construction work will be carried out by Mexican firm Ingenieros Civiles Asociados (ICA), which will receive $52 million from the Fiduciary Fund for Development. The rest is still to be sourced. Various soluti
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Bidders announced for Panama project
June 18, 2012
The consortium made up of Acciona Infraestructuras and Tradeco from Spain and Mexico and the consortium made up of Odebrecht and Hyundai Joint Venture from Brazil and South Korea plus Vinci Construction Grands Projets from France have pre-quali ed in the tender for the construction of a new bridge at the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal. The second stage of the selection process will involve the client Panama Canal Authority (ACP) sending the contract terms and conditions to bidders. The 75m high and 4.6k
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Russia looks set to be awarded World Trade Organisation membership
June 18, 2012
Russia will shortly become part of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). This is a key development for the construction equipment market as all member states of the WTO will benefit economically by having favoured-nation trade status with Russia. The exception to this however will be the US, which is currently prevented from granting Permanent Normal Trade Relations with Russia until Congress repeals the Jackson-Vanik Amendment. This 1974 amendment was originally put in place in response to the Soviet Union p
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Construction equipment demand in China continues to grow
June 18, 2012
Demand for construction machinery in China is expected to rise 6.2%/year to 387 billion yuan in 2015. This will be supported by continuing increases in construction spending, especially in infrastructure development. The data comes from a report by US-based research firm Freedonia Group. According to the report, growth in construction activity will be driven by continuing industrialisation but will be more moderate than in the 2005-2010 period. This will impact overall construction expenditures, which are e
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Balfour Beatty Mott McDonald secure key H Agency contract
June 15, 2012
The Highways Agency has awarded the second of its new Asset Support Contracts to Balfour Beatty Mott MacDonald. The contract involves maintaining and improving the network of motorways and major ‘A’ roads in the North West. It will cover the Agency’s roads in Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and south Lancashire and will go live from November 2012. Cumbria and the remainder of Lancashire are covered by a separate contract. The key contract will ensure motorways and major 'A' roads in the region co
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Bidders sought for US$1bn Doha Link bridge works
June 15, 2012
The Public Works Ministry in Kuwait is seeking bidders for a contract to design and build the US$1billion Doha Link bridge. The 16km long bridge will link the port village of Doha to Shuwaikh and will also be connected to the Subiya Causeway. A number of prequalified consortia have been invited to bid for the work by 27 November, 2012.
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30% increase in cost expected for Bangladesh’s Padma Bridge project
June 15, 2012
The price of building the Padma Bridge in Bangladesh could rise by 30% due to the depreciation of the taka against the US dollar and rising construction material prices. The bridge had been most recently forecast to cost US$2.9billion, with budgets previously having risen two-fold from the US$1.22billion funding package approved in 2007 by Bangladesh’s Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC).
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US state of Ohio investigates road fund alternatives
June 15, 2012
The authorities in the US state of Ohio continue to investigate new methods of generating revenue for highway investment. The state is facing a funding shortfall of up to US$1.6 billion on its highway maintenance and expansion plans to meet traffic volume needs. As a result, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is moving forward with a plan to explore the commercial development of certain state-owned rest areas. The state is pursuing the conversion to service plazas of five of the state’s 59 non-int
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Increasing electric vehicle sales in Central and Eastern Europe?
June 15, 2012
Projections suggest that electric vehicle sales in Central and Eastern Europe will hit 60,000 by 2017. The estimate comes from a report by Frost & Sullivan and suggests that Central and Eastern Europe will see growing sales of these vehicles, bringing strong market potential for manufacturers. The Central and Eastern European nations have a population of over 100 million people and a solid macroeconomic environment. The report says EV sales could top 62,000 units by 2017, increasing from approximately 245 u
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Dalian budget
June 14, 2012
Dalian city, China, has set out a budget worth some US$2.3 billion for 45 key projects in 2012, including the construction of 300km of rural roads and 254km of trunk roads. Two highway construction projects stretching over 55km are also included: the Zhuanghe–Gaizhou Expressway and Dalian Bay Port Area Expressway. Changshan Bridge's main section is to be completed in 2012.
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