News

Astucia SolarLite road studs have been recognised as one of the top three safety projects in Poland. The company’s Polish partner, Lunaro, was alerted to the need for more efficient road safety measures, and assisted in the planning and deployment of studs on Road No 3 near Przybiernow, Western Pomerania.

Authorities in Malta are continuing to examine options with regard to a road link connecting to the neighbouring island of Gozo. A competition was put forward to design a new bridge link between Malta and Gozo by ITS Malta. However the authorities are now evaluating the feasibility of building a tunnel.

Case Construction Equipment UK will field a strong, four-man team at the final of the Case European Rodeo to be held at the company’s Customer Centre near Paris, France, later this year. UK operators attended north and south heats as more than 100 customers a day took part in the four Case roadshow events.

The regional authorities in the Spanish Andalucia region are looking to the PPP model to develop infrastructure projects. A total finance deal worth some €768 million should be raised using the PPP structure so as to pay for five projects, which includes three road contracts. However the region originally had plans for €2.6 billion worth of infrastructure projects. The PPP model is being seen as the best way to progress with much needed infrastructure work in Spain given the severe financial problems the co

Latest statistics show road fatalities fell in the European Union by 11% in 2010 compared with the previous year. Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Spain, Luxembourg, Sweden, France and Slovenia have all made reductions of more than 50% in the number of deaths on their roads since 2001, says the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC). The organisation’s 2011 PIN [Road Safety Performance Index] Awards went to Sweden and Lithuania recognising their particular efforts in reducing road deaths.

Drilling work on the Blanka road tunnel in Czech capital Prague has now been completed. The new tunnel will become part of the Prague ring road once it is open to traffic. Construction commenced in 2007 but the project has faced a series of problems, including three collapses. The original cost was estimated at nearly €870 million for the construction works, €172 million for technology and €65 million for survey work. However, due to the problems the link has suffered the project is expected to cost close t

According to the VDMA the introduction of the EU-Exhaust Emission Regulation Stage III B poses a challenge for construction machinery manufacturers. It says the expense is enormous; a great deal of investment and development capacity is necessary; for the buyers that means higher prices, and in some cases greater efficiency on the building site. VDMA (German Engineering Federation) sees tighter regulation as “counter-productive,” and while the manufacturers have still got their hands full with refitting a

The authorities in the Czech Republic are counting the cost of bungled planning for a series of infrastructure projects. The works will now have to source funds from the Czech Government following a ruling by the European Court of Auditors that the tender processes for the projects were flawed. The original plan was that the EU Operational Programme Transport would have paid for the works but instead, the Czech Government will finance the projects itself. However, only one project will have to be almost 100

ELE International, a major worldwide manufacturer and supplier of construction materials testing equipment, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Danaher Corporation, is this year celebrating 50 years in business. It has offices in the UK and USA and strategically located regional offices with ELE associates in China, the Middle East and Singapore.

Worrying road safety statistics have been released in Germany that reveal an increase in accidents and fatalities. These are in marked contrast to the data for last year, which saw a record low in road fatality rates in Germany. The country’s Federal Statistics Office, Destatis, has released preliminary figures showing that the number of people killed in road traffic in Germany increased 8.5% to 1,809 in the first half of 2011 compared to the year-earlier period. By contrast, the number of accidents registe

ADFORS is the new name for Saint-Gobain Technical Fabrics, part of the French-based Saint-Gobain Group, a global producer and distributor of construction materials. ADFORS offers reinforcement products and solutions, mainly based on glass fibre, for a range of construction and infrastructure applications.

In Romania the road authorities have signed a deal for the construction of a 22km stretch of highway in a contract worth €91 million. The Portuguese contractor Monte Adriano will construct the section linking Nadlac with Pecica. Romania has pledged to improve and expand its highway network with the construction of new links, and much of the funding for its highway plans has been provided by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank (EIB).

The Hungarian Government is lining up an impressive plan for infrastructure investment in the coming years. A total of €11.14 billion will be used for developing the country’s road infrastructure from the present until 2027. The plans include building 500km of highway and 1,000km of dual carriageway in all. At present the funding sources have not been revealed. It seems likely that European banks will provide some of the funds but private sources are also likely to be used. The build operate transfer and pu

Iron technology company Saint-Gobain PAM UK has been awarded certification to the world-class, ISO-accredited CEMARS (Certified Emissions Measurement And Reduction Scheme) standard by the Achilles carbonReduction programme. CEMARS certification confirms the company has measured its greenhouse gas emissions in

As the world joins hands to make 2011-2020 the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety, the Transport Research Foundation (TRF), the parent of TRL, has been selected as a new Centre of Excellence. It was appointed by iRAP (the International Roads Assessment Programme), a UK charity that co-chairs the work on infrastructure for the UN Decade of Action, and which has established a new way to inspect and measure the safety of roads. It recommends high priority improvements which will save the most lives for the m