Road Structures

A series of major works is planned for Mexico City in 2015. The Mexican capital will benefit from a series of transportation project intended to deal with the city’s chronic congestion and pollution issues, as well as to improve international access. A second 13.3km long level will be added to the Mexico-Puebla highway and this is due for completion in July 2016. A second 7.7km level will also be added to the highway to Cuernavaca and this is due for completion in 2018. Construction will begin on a new airp

The Lithuanian Government is setting out plans to rebuild one of the country’s main highway links. The Vilnius-Utena highway rebuilding project is set to commence towards the end of 2015 and has an estimated cost of some €175 million. The project plans call for the work to be carried out under the public-private partnership (PPP) model and will involve reconstructing a 72.1km stretch of the Vilnius-Utena highway. The project will be submitted to parliament for approval in March 2015. If the approval is then

Rwanda looks set to commence work on a major road revamp project. The project is for the construction of the 51km Base-Gicumbi-Rukomo road. Financing for the project is coming in the shape of a loan worth some US$74.7 million from the African Development Bank (AfDB). The Rwandan Government will also provide another $4.6 million for the road project later. The project is part of Base-Nyagatare road project that will connect the Northern and the Eastern provinces, with work likely to start in April 2015. The

Uruguay requires more investment in roads, according to a report conducted by the economic studies centre for the construction industry, Centro de Estudios Economicos de la Industria de la Construccion (Ceeic). The report highlights a reported gap in road infrastructure investments in Uruguay in the period between 2000 and 2013. The country invested some 4.5% of GDP in roads, equivalent to around US$2.52 billion but adds that the government should invest around 7% of the GDP or almost $4 billion to repair a

In Western Australia plans are in hand for the new Perth freight link. This will run between Muchea and Fremantle, and it will start with the Roe 8 project and extend Roe Highway through to Stock Road. The route will remove some 500 trucks/day from the Leach Highway, helping cut congestion. The project will cost around US$1.3 billion (A$1.6 billion), with funding split between the Western Australia State Government and the Federal Government. The route should be complete in 2016. Also in Australia, work has

Alice, one of world's largest tunnel boring machines, has started its second tunnel drive for the Waterview Connection project in Auckland, New Zealand. The 90m-long, 3100tonne tunnel borer completed the first twin tunnel, at 2.4km, in September after 11 months of digging, as World Highways reported at the time. The machine has a boring diameter of 14.46m and its cutting wheel is driven by 24 electric motors with a total output of 8,400kW.

New Zealand will spend US$30 billion over the next decade on public transport, including road works not just in major urban areas but in the provinces. The announcement was made by Transport Minister Simon Bridges after the government approved the draft Government Policy Paper 2015. The approved document takes into consideration concerns by local government that their transport infrastructure needs would be ignored in favour of those for large urban areas, the New Zealand Herald newspaper reported.

In Russia’s Novosibirsk Region, plans are underway for the South-Western Transit road. The project is of a 30km link road connecting the existing Northern and Eastern bypass roads. Funding worth in excess of US$127 million will be provided by the Russian Federal Road Agency, Rosavtodor. The remaining $273.3 million required for the project will come from private investors. The project is being carried out under the PPP model.

In Mozambique a budget of US$100 million has been set for road rehabilitation work to be carried out in Nampula Province. The upgrades will be carried out for a total distance of a 300km and will be carried out in phases. Work will commence in 2015. The road improvements will be carried out on the Nametil-Nampula city, Moma-Nametil city, Angoche-Moma, Monapo-Angoche and Angoche-Nametil sections of road.