Road Structures

The tendering process is due to commence for a major new highway project in Bangladesh. The 218km highway is intended to improve transport connections between Dhaka and Chittagong and is expected to cost close to US$2.3 billion. The route will be tolled and will have seven interchanges, while it will run alongside the existing highway. The project is being planned by the country’s Roads and Highways Department (RHD). Two options have been proposed, with one featuring six lanes and three in either direction,

Bidding is underway in the Australian state of Victoria for the Western Distributor road project in Melbourne. The project is expected to cost US$4.06 billion. Interest has been strong in the project with a series of major contractors forming consortiums to submit joint bids. The contracts for the project should be agreed towards the end of 2017, while construction is planned for completion in 2022.

A series of tolled highway projects are commencing in the US state of Texas. These projects are being coordinated with input from the Texas Department of Transportation. One project is worth US$330 million and involves adding tolled lanes to the existing State Highway 360. The second phase of this project would cost an additional $604 million and involve adding further tolled lanes, however funding has yet to be secured before it can progress further. Another project is for the construction of tolled lanes

A stretch of Russia’s M4 Do Federal Highway will switch to toll road operation. The stretch of road runs from Rostov-on-don to Krasnodar (South). The project will include upgrades to the route so as to improve safety and capacity. The work is expected to cost in the region of US$108 million.

Much of the funding for the completion work necessary for Pakistan’s M-4 Highway is being provided by the Asian Development Bank. This will come in the shape of a loan worth US$100 million. A further $34 million in funding is being provided through a grant from the Department for International Development (DFID) in the UK. The highway is of enormous economic importance for Pakistan and the region as it will boost trade and assist with political stabilisation of the region. The M-4Highway forms part of an

Work is progressing on the key Red Vial 5 highway project in Peru. The construction phase of the Huacho-Pativilca highway should finish in March 2017. The 183km long highway project has been carried out in two phases, with the first being finished in 2008 and costing some US$58 million. However costs have escalated for the second phase and it will come with a bill of some $119.6 million when the work is completed in 2017, around 12 months later than originally planned. The road operator is Norvial and this

Hungary has plans in hand for a programme of works that will improve its transportation system. In all there are 19 transport projects being worked on. These will be implemented as part of the EU's Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). Funding from the EU worth up to €795 million looks likely to be made available to pay for the construction work required. Two of the key road projects icnluded will be for the widening of the existing M70 and M15 dual carriageways, with these routes also being upgraded to highway

The tender process is commencing in Croatia for a major bridge project. The new Peljeski Bridge construction project is expected to cost some €526 million. Some of the financing required for the bridge will be provided by the EU, which is supplying €330 million, around 70% of the funding needed for the work. Once the bridge opens to traffic, it will provide an important transport link for Croatia, connecting road links to the Adriatic Coastline. The work is planned to be carried out in four separate phases,

Engineering and consultancy firm Michael Baker International will work on a major highway reconstruction project in Colombia, South Carolina. The project is intended to improve the commute for drivers in the state. The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) has awarded Michael Baker International a US$8.8-million contract to provide construction engineering and inspection services for an 17.6km section of Interstate 20 (I-20) in Lexington County. The section of I-20 is a main artery into and