Road Structures

Japan intends to offer financial aid worth some US$6.47 billion for infrastructure projects in Asean countries. This comes after the recent Asean-Japan Commemorative Summit and Japan-Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). A large portion of the financial aid will be for investment projects under the GMS regional cooperation. The money will be provided in loans and grants. A five-year infrastructure plan by the GMS has already been approved at a GMS ministerial meeting. The plan covers 55 projects worth some $44.4

The concession package for the US$1.06 billion Américo Vespucio Oriente (AVO) expressway in Santiago, Chile looks set to be awarded to a consortium headed by OHL Concesiones Chile. OHL's proposal of a subsidy close to 20% of the project's cost beat Spanish group Cintra's bid, according to a report from Business News Americas. Of 15 companies that prequalified for the project, only OHL in an alliance with Sacyr Concesiones Chile and Cintra had submitted technical offers for the 40-year concession. Constructi

The tender process is opening for a highway project in Brazil's southern Paraná State. The project will be carried out under the PPP model and the deal is worth some US$3.21 billion. The package of works necessary will require widening, improving, maintaining and operating state highway PR-323 as well as a number of adjacent roads. The package is for a 30-year concession and involves widening 207km of highway between the towns of Paiçandu and Francisco Alves in the northeast of the state, according to a rep

Official data from Hunan Province, Hubei Province and Fujian Province in China reveal major infrastructure investment plans. Hunan Province will invest US$10.92 billion (CNY 66 billion) on transportation in 2014. Construction work will commence on more than 10 highways with a total length of 600km in 2014. Highway projects will account for $6.45 billion (CNY 39 billion) of the total investment. Hunan's rural road developments will involve an investment of $1.24 billion (CNY 7.5 billion) and a total length o

Plans are in hand in Namibia for widening work to a road close to capital Windhoek. The road is being upgraded to dual carriageway status and the work is expected to reduce travel times and improve safety along the route, reducing the risk of head-on collisions. The road being improved carries up to 6,500 vehicles/day and stretches from a bridge at Dobra to the Windhoek-Okahandja route. The widening work is being carried out by Grinaker-LTA and includes building a number of pedestrian bridges and installing

The tender process is being opened for a new PPP road project for the island of Aruba. The Watty Vos Boulevard tender will be under the design, build, finance and maintain model, set out under a 22 year package by Aruba’s Government. The tender process is open to local and international contractors and consultants. The total cost of the project is estimated at around US$120 million. The work involves rebuilding some 7km of road along a 17km stretch as well as upgrading 12 intersections and building two over

Contractor China Roads and Bridges is building a new bridge link in Mozambique as part of a project worth some US$725 million. The contractor is also building the new ring road around Mozambique’s capital Maputo in a deal worth some $315 million, with the work due for completion by the end of 2014. The project for the Maputo-Catembe River Bridge also includes construction of road connections to Ponte do Ouro.

The bold decision to go against the norm and build the back spans using falsework for the Ironton-Russell replacement bridge between Parkersburg, Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio allowed land access to build the main span which, along with the first use in the U.S. of precast stay anchor blocks, meant the new structure could get built.

In Japan, operators of West Nippon Expressway, Central Nippon Expressway and East Nippon Expressway are planning to spend around US$28.86 billion (JPY 3.02 trillion) to renovate ageing tunnels and bridges on their roads. The expressway operators will be renovating around 2,110km of the combined 9,000km of expressways that they operate. This will include large scale renovations on about 1,870km of expressways, such as reinforcing tunnel foundations. The three operators will also renew about 240km of bridges

The construction of the Marão road tunnel in Portugal will be resumed in the first half of 2014 – ending a two-year suspension of works due to the financial constraints of the winning Somague-led build consortium. The concession for the tunnel, which, at 5.6km, will be Portugal’s longest road tunnel, is now under the control of the state road agency Estradas de Portugal. Another investment of €150 million (US$ 202.91 million) is required to complete the major infrastructure works, earmarked for completio