Road Structures

Delays seem likely for the project to build a tunnel link between Turany and Hubova in Slovakia. The 5.7km tunnel will form part of the D1 highway when complete but the construction schedule is being held back as the planned route runs through an aquifer area that provides water sources to three communities in the vicinity. A new route will have to be found so as to minimise the environmental impact. With the original timeline, construction of the tunnel could have commenced in 2017. But given the need to f

A section of Slovakia’s D3 highway between Skalite and Svrcinovec should be complete by May 2017. This stretch of the D3 highway is in the north of Slovakia and will improve transport links to the neighbouring countries of the Czech Republic and Poland. The section of highway was previously expected to be complete during 2016 but a series of delays have been caused by various geological issues. The topography of the area is challenging and the section will include two tunnels and over 20 bridges as a result

Progress is being seen in Serbia with regard to some of the country’s key highway projects. The Ljig-Preljina stretch of the Corridor 11 highway will open for traffic at the end of October 2016. The highway route will be tolled but these will not be implemented until the start of 2017. Plans are also moving ahead for the ring road project for the capital, Belgrade. Meanwhile talks are being held with the European Investment Bank (EIB) over the new highway link to run from Nis, through Merdare and over the b

Major highway widening work is planned in the US State of Pennsylvania. Around US$125 million will be spent to widen Interstate 76, the Schuylkill Expressway. The busy highway route runs from Philadelphia, though Harrisburg, past Pittsburgh and over the state border to the outskirts of Cleveland in neighbouring Ohio. The project is being organised by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) in a bid to cut congestion on key sections of the route, as this results in severe delays for drivers d

Morocco’s highway expansion programme is intended to improve transport in the country and further new projects are now being considered. In all eight new highway links are being reviewed at present, with two studies being carried out into the feasibility of the various projects. These form part of Morocco’s road infrastructure development programme, which includes plans for new routes to be constructed until 2035.

A series of major infrastructure projects are now moving forward in Indonesia, with financing sources having been identified for the work. Key projects include a tolled highway for East Java and a new tolled road and bridge link in East Kalimantan. Work on the 158km South Coast road project for East Java is moving forward with the securing of financing in the shape of a US$225.8 million loan from the Islamic Development Bank (IDB). A tolled highway link is being planned between Melawai in Balikpapan city

Road development work continues in India, with the country planning its highway infrastructure expansion. The projects are being planned by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). A new 127km highway will connect Lucknow with Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh. The four lane route will also pass through Ayyubganj and Musafirkhana and is expected to cost in the region of US$425.3 million to construct. The work is being carried out by the contractor Dilip Buildon.

The tender process will commence in early 2017 for a new highway project in Turkey. Work on the new highway is expected to commence in the second quarter of 2018 and should take around five years to build. The first tender will be for a 100km section of the route although the highway will be around 352km long in all once it is complete.