Road Structures

So far 18 companies have been registered as eligible for tenders in the Agua Negra Tunnel project, which will link Argentina with Chile. The tender process is commencing for the project in the second half of 2014. The new tunnel will provide a better alternative to existing routes connecting the two countries through the Andes Mountain range at present. One of the existing routes is through a high mountain pass, which is frequently blocked due to poor weather while being unsuitable for heavy vehicles. The o

So far 18 companies have been registered as eligible for tenders in the Agua Negra Tunnel project, which will link Argentina with Chile. The tender process is commencing for the project in the second half of 2014. The new tunnel will provide a better alternative to existing routes connecting the two countries through the Andes Mountain range at present. One of the existing routes is through a high mountain pass, which is frequently blocked due to poor weather while being unsuitable for heavy vehicles. The o

Two major highway projects are being planned in Yemen. A new 710km highway will link the southern port city of Aden with Saudi Arabia, while there are also plans for a new 85km highway in the country’s central region. The route connecting Aden with Saudi Arabia is expected to cost some US$3.5 billion to construct. Around $134 million is being provided for this project by the World Bank while the Saudi Development Fund will supply $320 million. Work is expected to commence in three months’ time although the

A successful bridge demolition project has been carried out in Chicago Illinois. The work to remove the Ontario Street Bridge was carried out on behalf of the Illinois Department of Transportation. A fleet of Caterpillar excavators was used for the work. The machines featured demolition attachments, allowing the structure to be removed in a controlled fashion as the video reveals.

In Northern Germany plans are being set out for a new Autobahn bridge spanning the famous Kiel Canal. The A7 Autobahn crosses the Kiel Canal at Rendsburg but the existing concrete structure has been deemed unable to cope with the volumes of traffic it has to carry. The bridge has been subject to lane closures and the passage of heavy trucks has been restricted. The A7 Autobahn is an important route for Germany, running from the border with Denmark in the north all the way to the border with Austria in the s

Balfour Beatty has won a €225 million (£184 million) motorway upgrade contract from the Highways Agency. A total of 27.3kms (17 miles) on the M60 and M72 will be upgraded. The work includes converting the carriageway between junctions 18 and 20 on the M72 to a four-lane motorway. The carriageway stretch between junctions 8 and 12 on the M60 will also be upgraded. Employing around 1,000, the work is due to begin this month (July 2014) and be completed by autumn 2017.

The island of Reunion is to benefit from a new coastal road route that will reinforce the country’s connectivity. Construction company Egis will act as prime contractor for those firms carrying out work on the project. The work will involve building viaducts and dams to make way for the new road and the construction companies involved in the project will also focus on issues including environmental engineering. Egis will handle the project management and other aspects of the work will include overall design

In the second half of 2014, the launch date for an expressway project connecting Sejong and Seoul will be announced by the South Korean government. The expressway is set to ease traffic congestion in the Jungbu and Gyeongbu motorways. The project will cost an estimated US$6.57 billion (KRW 6.7 trillion), with the expressway spanning 129kms. It is due for completion by 2022.

Peru’s capital Lima faces a huge US$50 billion gap in its highways and other infrastructure, according to an official from the Lima metropolitan municipality (MML). "According to the studies that we have carried out, Lima needs to invest US$50bn in infrastructure to ensure growth and to continue to attract investments," Arturo Delgado, MML's urban project advisor, was quoted as saying by local daily La República. Delgado stressed in the same article that investments should go towards constructing new road