Road Structures

Spanish firm Copasa of Spain has won the package of works to build Uruguay’s Ruta 14 Centro-Oeste highway. The contract is a build and operate deal, while the concession is for a 20 year term.

The cost of a highway project in Panama has increased significantly since the work was first awarded. Much of the higher price for the work is due to the installation of additional safety measures.

A concession package has been agreed for a toll road project in the Bashkortostan Republic. The US$512 million construction project will provide a new link from the M5 Ural highway route to Ufa, the capital of the Bashkortostan Republic.

Work on the Highlands Highway in Papua New Guinea now looks set to commence shortly. The project had been delayed as local residents had to be resettled before construction could start in earnest. The US$85.4 million project to build the Keltiga to Kagamuma stretch of the highway is being carried out by a Chinese contractor, China Harbour Engineering Co (CHEC). In all the project is costing $190.6 million and involves building a highway route featuring two lanes in either direction.

A shortlist of six firms has been drawn up in the bidding process for an expressway project in Laos. The new expressway will connect capital Vientiane with Pakxe and will be around 585km long.

Interest has been strong in the tender process for the Agua Negra Tunnel project that will connect Chile and Argentina. In all 10 consortia comprising 29 firms submitted bids to build the tunnel, which will provide a new road link from Coquimbo in Chile to San Juan in Argentina. The winning tender is due to be announced in early 2018. It is highly likely that the winner will include local firms and Chilean companies in particular have access to personnel with experience of tunnelling work due to the country

Plans in Italy call for the construction of a new 15km road link in the northern Emilia Romagna region of the country. The project is expected to cost some €506 million, with around €215 million to be provided by public sources.

India’s massive Zojila Tunnel project in Jammu & Kashmir is attracting new bidding. The National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDC) is asking for new bids for the project. A number of Indian and international firms are expected to enter bids, with some planning join ventures for the work, which is expected to cost US$1.55 billion.

India’s massive Zojila Tunnel project in Jammu & Kashmir is attracting new bidding. The National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDC) is asking for new bids for the project. A number of Indian and international firms are expected to enter bids, with some planning join ventures for the work, which is expected to cost US$1.55 billion.

Plans are being formalised for Vietnam’s massive North-South Expressway project. The tolled route will stretch 1,372km and the project will be split into 20 separate sections, with the work being carried out in two separate phases.