News

Delays to highway, tunnel and bridge building
May 14, 2012
The Slovakian government is being asked for financial compensation by Granvia, the group building the country’s new Nitra-Banska Bystrica highway. Granvia is building the highway under the PPP model through a 30-year concession deal. The compensation has been requested due to delays that have been caused by the need for archaeological investigations along the route.
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IRD to provide port-of-entry screening system on Arizona-Mexico border
May 14, 2012
International Road Dynamics (IRD) has won a contract, valued at around US$1.73 million for the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) Mariposa Port of Entry at the US-Mexico border crossing near Nogales, Arizona.
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Construction equuipment market improves
May 14, 2012
The German manufacturers association, VDMA, has compiled data suggesting that following the slump in construction equipment sales in 2009, the market will recover in 2010. The VDMA reports that in 2009 German construction equipment sales fell in by some 43% to €9.5 billion. Dr Christof Kemmann, VDMA chairman said at a recent board meeting of the organisation, “...2009 has been the most difficult year ever for our industry.”
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Infrastructure-vehicle communications tested
May 14, 2012
Austrian motorway operator Asfinag and the Austrian Federal Agency for Technological Measures AustriaTech are planning to test the newly-developed infrastructure-vehicle communication system with 5,000 more vehicles on Austrian motorways. This is part of the European Union (EU) project COOPERS (CO-OPerative SystEms for Intelligent Road Safety), which started in February 2006 with a four-year duration and a total Budget of more than €16.8 million.
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Telvent to implement its SmartMobility Road Suite in Saudi Arabia.
May 14, 2012
Telvent GIT has been awarded a contract by Almabani General Contractors to implement the Telvent SmartMobility Road Suite solution on the extension of the roads in Arriyadh Old Airport area. The project, lead by the High Commission for the Development of Arriyadh, will extend the existing north-south and east-west highways for more than 11 kms and the construction of three tunnels.
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Funding Poland's delayed highway projects
May 14, 2012
Poland’s Ministry of Infrastructure is requesting that the country’s Ministry of Regional Development transfer EU grants worth some €10.66 billion. These funds had been set for use in specific road building projects, but the Ministry of Infrastructure wants to use the funds for other road schemes, preventing the money from being wasted where certain road projects are delayed. Major road projects would then be put on a list of those eligible for the EU funds.
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Tunnel planned for Switzerland's new highway
May 14, 2012
Plans are in hand in Switzerland for a new highway connection between Locarno and the rest of the country’s national highway network. A study by an engineering consultancy has suggested six options, with costs estimated from €530-€798 million, and all will require tunnel construction.
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Funding problems for Bosnia's highway project
May 14, 2012
The Bosnian autonomous entity Republika Srpska recently cancelled a highway contract with Austrian construction company Strabag. The problem arose from alleged “irregularities” that saw the contract being awarded directly to Strabag without the work being put out for tender. Because of this, international financial institutions such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) have said they will not fund the project.
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Study highlights risks of US teenage drivers carrying other teens
May 14, 2012
A new study carried out in the US reveals that teenaged drivers taking other teenagers as passengers have a higher fatality risk. The study used national fatality statistics data and was carried out by the American Automobile Association's Foundation for Traffic Safety. It revealed that teenagers sharing a ride with other teenagers have a higher chance of getting killed in a car crash depending on the number of passengers in the car.
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Taiwan’s new laws will pose stiffer penalties for drivers using mobile devices at the wheel
May 14, 2012
The authorities in Taiwan are giving approval for amendments to the road traffic violation regulations in a bid to crack down on the use of mobile devices by drivers. The new amendment to the law will impose a US$34.00 fine for any car driver or motorcycle rider using a cell phone, mobile device or other electronic device while driving. Motorcyclists and drivers were banned from using mobile handsets when they were driving, under the previous rules. But the amended rules now prohibit the use of handheld PCs
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Major road plans are being set for Russia’s two key cities
May 14, 2012
Targets are being set for road investment, construction and repairs in Russia. To meet the country’s infrastructure needs, Russia’s National Association of Builders estimates that some 1,500km of roads must be built/year. Meanwhile the highway authorities in Moscow are aiming to repair around 33% of the city’s road surface every year. Some 23.6 million m2 of road surface will be repaired in Moscow during 2012, compared with 24.7 million m2 in 2011.
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50 years of driveline technology
May 14, 2012
ZF has celebrated 50 years of developing and producing driveline technology and axle systems for construction machinery at its location in Passau, Germany. The company is also celebrating two world premieres: ZF cPower, a continuously variable construction machinery transmission, and ZF Ergopower Hybrid.
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Germany boosts transport infrastructure spending
May 14, 2012
The German government intends to increase spending on transport infrastructure compared to 2008 when €9.1 billion was invested. However, Germany’s road transport lobby group, Pro Mobilität, says that the planned investment in roads will still be too low. It estimates that in 2011 less than €10 billion will be spent on transport infrastructure, including €4.8 billion on roads, which is not sufficient for all projects planned.
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Ireland's budgert cuts impact on road projects
May 14, 2012
Ireland’s government is undergoing a period of belt-tightening, with a string of budget cuts that will directly impact on the transport sector. The country was in the process of spending heavily on its infrastructure but with the tough economic climate it is now facing, a number of road projects are among those facing the axe. The Irish government is slashing its infrastructure spending from €39.6 billion to €22.9 billion between now and 2013. This looks likely to result in 40 road projects, including hig
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Wireless platform for remote vehicle management and emergency services
May 14, 2012
The Actia Group, an international provider of value-added electronic equipment for the automotive market, has selected Sierra Wireless AirPrime AR Series modules to provide high-performance connectivity for its latest in-vehicle technology platform. The new platform, called the ACU-II (Actia Connect Unit second generation), uses the AirPrime module to allow drivers to connect and manage various functions of vehicles through a smartphone application, giving them the ability to, for example, lock or unlock th
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