News

Professional drivers run a high risk of back injury and hearing impairment due to bad road quality, a report by Swedish consulting firm Vectura has shown. Vectura has measured vibration on roads in Sweden, Finland, Norway and Scotland as part of the EU project Roadex, and found that many professional drivers were exposed to an unacceptably high level of vibration caused by uneven road surfaces. Bad road quality also increased the risk of slipping accidents, the report showed.

Road safety is again hitting the headlines worldwide, with new data showing accident reductions being achieved as well as highlighting areas for improvement. Several European nations showed major safety improvements. In Spain, the Home Affairs Office has published encouraging information revealing that the number of fatalities from car accidents fell in 13 out of the country's 17 autonomous regions during 2010. La Rioja region reported a drop of 47%, the best improvement in Spain, while the regions of Astur

The Ministry of Public Works and Transport of Cambodia (MPWTC) said it expected the completion of a US$27million upgrade of Road No9, linking the districts of Phin and Outhoumphone, by March 2015. The forecast comes after the MPWTC awarded a civil work contract to a Japan-based joint venture between Obayashi and Obayashi Road. The ministry will utilise a grant from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to finance the project.

Simplex Infrastructures, the Indian construction firm, has emerged as the low bidder for the third phase deal for Oman's Batinah Expressway. The firm submitted a US$ 301.12million (OMR 301.12million) bid for the work. Some 16 firms are bidding for the deal, which involves building 34km of the 265km road. The second lowest bid of US$322million (OMR 124.4million) was submitted by both Turkey's Makyol Gulf and Oman Roads Engineering. The fourth and fifth packages for the Batinah Expressway project have also be

Discussions are now underway on a new highway to connect Turkey with Romania. A major stretch of this new highway will run through Bulgaria, which will provide a much-needed link in the country as it has insufficient express road infrastructure at present. The Bulgarian section of the highway would run from Ruse to Svilengrad. The political leaders of Bulgaria and Turkey, as well as Qatar, have been in discussions over the proposed project

All three of Moscow’s main airports are to benefit from major upgrades to their road connections. The authorities in the Russian capital have plans to repair and improve eight key connecting roads to Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Sheremetyevo airports and with a target date for completion in 2015. The first section of the new Moscow - St Petersburg tolled highway forms part of the new route into Sheremetyevo airport and this is due for completion during 2014. In all some US$5.6 billion will be spent on repairing

The Papua New Guinea government is looking to borrow US$ 3billion to upgrade the country’s vital Highlands Highway. Francies Awesa, the works minister, will go to China to negotiate a loan for the project. The Highlands Highway serves three million people living in highland provinces, and upgrading the road is seen as an important priority for the government’s economic policies.

A pre-bid conference was held yesterday for the Secondary National Roads Development Project (SNRDP) in Samar, the Philippines. Monday’s event was a tender call for the first of four contracts of the road construction and rehabilitation project. Actual bids for the first contract, which involves a 550-day project to rehabilitate the Barangay Tinani-Buray Junction road that is scheduled to start on 5 September, 2012, must be submitted by 16 July, 2012.

A new study by civil engineers at MIT shows that using stiffer pavements on America’s roads could reduce vehicle fuel consumption by as much as 3%, that could add up to US$15.6 billion at today’s oil prices. This would result in an accompanying annual decrease in CO2 emissions of 46.5 million tonnes. The study, released in a recent peer-reviewed report, is the first to use mathematical modelling rather than roadway experiments to look at the effect of pavement deflection on vehicle fuel consumption across t

Inrix, a leading international provider of traffic information and intelligent driver services, has released its fifth Annual Inrix Traffic Scorecard revealing a startling 30% drop in traffic congestion in the US in 2011. In the report, which also scores Europe, 70 of America’s top 100 most populated cities showed decreases in traffic congestion last year. The report concludes these results are indicative of a ‘stop-’n’-go economy’ where lack of employment combined with high fuel prices is keeping Americans

New Zealand’s Waterview tunnel project in Auckland will provide a key link in, boosting capacity and safety while reducing congestion and journey times. A consortium will handle the work for the Waterview Connection road, in a deal worth $1.15 billion (NZ$1.4 billion). The Well Connected consortium includes local company Fletcher Construction as well as other New Zealand and overseas firms. The deal is of note as it will be New Zealand’s single largest highway project and work is due to commence in November

The authorities in Indonesia are planning six toll road projects to link with capital Jakarta. These have a total value of US$4.52 billion and include the 18km Semanan-Sunter toll road, a 10km road linking Kampung Melayu and Kemayoran, the 9.6km Pasar Minggu-Casablanca road and the Ulujami-Tanah Abang road. Prequalification for tendering will commence once full approval has been given for the projects to become part of Jakarta’s 2011-2030 infrastructure programme. Also in Indonesia, Jasa Marga is investing

In Israel the contractor Shikun u'Binui Holdings has been awarded a road project worth some US$65.2 million. The tender was awarded by Israel National Roads Company and is for a four-year project. Under the terms of the deal Shikun u'Binui Solel Boneh Building and Infrastructure will upgrade the Upper Galilee interchange that connects Road 65 and Road 85. The project also includes widening both highways from two-lane to four-lane roads as well as building a small interchange near the Kahal village and const

A novel concept aimed at boost road funding is being introduced by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). The new ODOT programme is aimed at generating millions in new revenue for reinvestment into highway funding. The scheme will permit advertising and sponsorship opportunities at interstate rest areas and welcome centres throughout Ohio. ODOT says it is seeking competitive bids for the Sponsorship, Maintenance, and Advertising Revenue Tartgeted (SMART) programme.

Volvo Construction Equipment has opened a new Competence Development Centre in Zhengzhou in partnership with local colleges and dealers to educate talented young people in technician training China's rapid urbanisation has meant that the construction machinery industry is developing quickly, and according the Five-Year Plan, the annual growth average for engineering machinery is projected to be more than 17%, while the annual output will be over US$900 billion Construction machinery will be a driving f