Road Structures

New highway investment for Moscow

September 16, 2014

A series of highway projects are either underway or being planned in Russian capital Moscow. Russian road authority Avtodor is inviting bids for construction and maintenance of the Central Ring Road's fifth start-up facility in the Moscow region. The road section will be 76km long and the concession package will be for 24 years. The maximum price of the contract has been set at US$1.14 billion. Is also opening bids for construction of the M11 Moscow-St Petersburg motorway's 208-258 km section. The project w

Kofi Annan helps formwork specialist Pilosio take CSR to the next level

September 16, 2014

Italian formwork specialist Pilosio held its fourth annual Building Peace Award in the historic setting of Venice’s Scuola Grande on Friday 12 September. This year’s winner was politician Samia Yaba Nkrumah, the daughter of Ghana’s first democratically elected president, highlighting her planned project to build a new library and learning space in Akosombo, near Lake Volta, dedicated to her father. Over 300 guests from around the world, including 150 Pilosio clients, attended the event and heard keynote sp

Zambia plans major road infrastructure programme

September 15, 2014

The Zambian Government is planning a major road infrastructure programme, in a bid to boost the country’s connectivity and help continue with its economic growth. The country has established the Link Zambia 8000 project, which is being carried out in a series of phases. The first phase will include the upgrade of some 2,290km of roads and could cost in the region of US$1.5 billion to implement. The World Bank is currently evaluating plans for the second phase of the project. Funding sources have yet to be r

Construction commencing for Mersey gateway project

September 15, 2014

Work is now starting on the road links that will connect to the new Mersey Gateway Bridge, close to the UK city of Liverpool. The first work is being carried out at Junction 12 of the M56 in Runcorn, with workers commencing site clearance at the roundabout where the motorway joins the Weston Point Expressway (A557). This will take around six months to complete, with much of the work being carried out during off-peak traffic times so as to minimise congestion and this portion of the project should be finishe

Fugro quality assurance for Chinese roads using data collection

September 11, 2014

Fugro Roadware has supplied a sophisticated ARAN 9000 pavement management data collection vehicle to the Jiangsu Transportation Research Institute Group (JSTRI) in China. JSTRI has provided research consulting services to the Chinese transportation industry since 1978. The ARAN 9000 will be a key technological asset for JSTRI by providing their research team with a system capable of collecting detailed data at posted highway speeds.

Quicker ground surveys with GPR

September 11, 2014

MK Surveys, based in Milton Keynes, is now using an advanced, portable ground penetrating radar (GPR) system. The purchase of Opera Duo, the latest innovation for utility location and mapping by market leaders IDS, further strengthens MK Surveys’ capability in this expanding market.

Russia planning Kerch Straits bridge project

September 8, 2014

The Russian authorities are further developing plans for the new bridge that will span the Kerch Strait. The bridge is now expected to cost some US$6.1 billion to construct and the completion date is expected in 2018. The work will be overseen by the Russian road authority Avtodor. This will be the first bridge crossing of the Kerch Strait since a short-lived structure was erected in the 1940s. The design will have to cope with severe winter weather and the project will be challenging technically.

Lithuania plans major road project

September 8, 2014

An improved highway link is set to boost transport connections between Lithuanian capital Vilnius and the city of Utena. The 72.5km highway will be carried out as a PPP project. The Lithuanian Ministry of Transport and Communications has said that the current link will be resurfaced so as to provide an improved highway for drivers and the work looks set to be finished in three years. The contract will also involve a 10 year maintenance programme once the construction work is complete. The resurfacing work w

Kenya plans ambitious roads programme

September 8, 2014

The Kenyan Government has ambitious plans for road infrastructure development. The country’s new road expansion programme will be funded in part by commercial banks and other financial institutions, which will provide some US$2.93 billion. This will help pay for the three year road construction programme. The Kenyan Government aims to negotiate for loans from financing institutions with the funds then being provided to contractors to construct and maintain roads. The first phase of the programme will be to

New Colombian highway connection planned

September 8, 2014

The tender process for a major new road project in Colombia is due to open shortly. The project has an estimated cost of some US$621 million and will be constructed under a public private partnership model. The 32km Mulalo-Loboguerrero road project has been approved by Colombia's National Planning Department (DNP). The Tender process is opening in October 2014, with the contracts expected to be ready by December 2014 and construction work starting in 2016 then finishing in 2021.