News

Austrian construction firm STRABAG has won a major road contract from Poland’s General Directorate for National Roads and Highways (GDDKiA). The deal is for the construction of a 40km section of the S8 Expressway between Walichnowy and Sieradz Poùudnie, some 240km to the south west of capital Warsaw.

A new coalition of executives from blue chip companies in the US transportation and utility industries has come together to design a large-scale electric vehicle (EV) demonstration project that will help create a comprehensive national model for EV deployment.

The TRA 2012 transport event, being held in April in Athens, will provide a unique interactive opportunity for attendees to learn about Horizon 2020, the European Commission proposal for a new Research & Innovation Framework Programme which comes into force in January 2014. The transport component of this programme is worth €7.7 billion and delegates to TRA 2012 will be able to take part in a series of 13 strategic sessions covering all modes and tackling the entire spectrum of activities envisaged by the F

In Serbia some million is being spent on developing the Corridor 10 and 11 highways during 2012. The work being carried out by Serbian roads company Koridori Srbije will include the 22km Ipsilon arm on Corridor 10, which will run from Kelebija to Subotica.

Work is now underway once more on a new bridge link connecting Laos with Thailand. The US$44 million project is being funded equally by the governments of both countries and work is expected to be complete in June 2013.

Cofiroute USA, which introduced toll road automation on the 91 Express Lanes in Orange County, California, has taken its knowledge of toll road technology to a new level with the installation of a fully integrated back office system for the 91 Express Lanes that manages every operating, reporting and customer service detail.

Swiss headuartered power and automation technology group, ABB, has won a tender to build a network of 200 electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging stations throughout Estonia. The order, from the Estonian government, is Europe’s largest EV charging infrastructure contract to date and creates what is being claimed is the world’s first fast-charging infrastructure with full nationwide coverage.

London faces a nail-biting race against the clock to fix Hammersmith Flyover in time for the 2012 Olympics. The flyover, which carries 90 vehicles a day on the A4, the road between central London and the West, including Heathrow airport, has been closed since 23 December after serious defects were found in the 50-year-old structure.

Chinese manufacturer LiuGong Machinery has finalised its agreement to acquire Polish firm HSW (Huta Stalowa Wola) and its distribution subsidiary, Dressta. The agreement was signed by executives from both companies in Warsaw.

Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science and Technology, an existing Scania customer since 2008, has ordered 375 trucks which will be used as a platform for mobile concrete pumps. Said to be the world’s largest concrete machinery manufacturer, the company's largest mobile concrete pumps, which have a span up to 80 metres, are mounted on Scania’s 4- and 5-axle truck chassis with 6-cylinder 420-470 hp engines.

The Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) is providing loans worth US$175 million to Brazil’s Espirito Santo Statew. These loans will help finance the planned series of road improvements in the state.

Some $1.6 billion in funding is being provided from US federal funds to states and territories across the nation to cover the costs of repairing roads and bridges damaged by natural disasters. Funding from the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Emergency Relief Programme was provided by the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012.

The annual work programme has a high degree of flexibility to address new demands of projects of common interest which focus on TEN-T priorities. The first is to promote the development of an integrated and multi-modal transport system, with a budget of €25 million.

The organisers of the BICES 2011 event held in Beijing say that the show attracted 1030 exhibitors from 31 countries and districts. This represents an increase of 35% for international exhibitors. Meanwhile visitors came from more than 100 different countries and districts to join this exhibition.