Road Structures

Montreal’s Champlain Bridge will be replaced by 2018, according to the Canadian federal government. The government pledge is three years earlier than the original plans to replace the landmark structure. The new US$ 4.71 billion (CAD 5 billion) toll bridge is to be constructed through a public-private partnership and the procurement process is set to commence in spring 2014. Poul Ove Jensen has been selected by the government to design the replacement Champlain Bridge which, with its almost 160,000 daily

Provisional resource consent allowing New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) to construct a four-lane, 13km expressway linking Otaki and Peka Peka in Wellington has been granted by an Independent Board of Inquiry. The project is estimated to cost around US$203.41 million (NZD 250 million) and will take around 24 months to construct from 2016. The final draft decision is to be released by the board during February 2014. The Otaki-Peka Peka expressway is one of eight road projects that will link to form the $2

Work on a key stretch of Colombia’s Ruta del Sol highway project is behind schedule, with the route now unlikely to open to traffic before 2017. The 21.6km section of the highway facing these delays will link Villeta and Guaduas in Cundinamarca. A key challenge is technical as the US engineering firm Gall Zeidler Consultants has warned Colombia’s infrastructure agency (ANI) that this section of the route is geologically unstable. The proposed route could be at risk from slippage and will need to be stabilis

A loan worth US$400 million will help fund construction of a new highway in Kyrgyzstan. The Eximbank of China is providing the loan to the Kyrgyzstan Government of Kyrgyzstan for a 20 year period, with a grace period of 11 years at an interest rate of 2%. The project is for the construction of the new North - South route. The project includes a 1.7km tunnel, which is expected to cost some $150 million.

Colombia is benefiting from heavy investment in infrastructure that is helping boost the country’s economy. At the same time, tough policies have also reduced crime considerably and helped stabilise economic development. This process of economic growth and overall stabilisation looks set to continue as the Colombian Government has recently unveiled its plans for highway construction over the next 10 years. This infrastructure programme is also tipped to raise demand for surety products owing to government c

A demolition contractor has carried out an explosive demolition on an overpass in Brazilian city, Rio de Janeiro. The demolition work is being carried out as part of the upgrades to the city’s port district in preparation for the 2016 Olympic Games. Around 1tonne of explosives were used to place charges at key points within the structure of the Perimetral overpass. The demolition work was successful and the structure was brought down safely without incident.

The Iranian authorities have announced plans to restart work on a coastal highway project. The project is expected to cost some US$83 million, with the Iranian Government shouldering $43 million of the investment required. When it is complete, the highway will connect the cities of Mashhad and Astara via Bojnord, Gorgan, Dari and Rash. Work on the Bojnord-Gorgan stretch is expected to complete and the highway to be open for traffic in the second quarter of 2016

The Government in Aruba in the Caribbean is giving its approval for its second PPP transport infrastructure project, the Watty Vos Boulevard. The start of the tender process for the project is planned for the first quarter of 2014. PwC is the transaction advisor for the Contracting Authority, while the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and local legal firm Sjiem Fat & Co are also part of the team. The project will cost some US$120 million and involves the construction of a new arterial road 2x2 around Oranje