Road Structures

The Republic of Congo government wants to create 3,000km of tarmac roads in the country by 2015, compared to the present 1,675km, to aid the mobility of people and goods in the country and encourage trade growth. If the goal is reached, it will increase national tarmac coverage from 9.5% to 16%. The Republic of the Congo has a national road network of 17,300km, including 9,522km of rural roads, 2,333km of regional roads, and 5,445km of national roads. The country implemented a national transport plan in 201

Chinese company Shandong High Speed Group is planning to begin construction works on Serbia’s Corridor 11 motorway in the second half of September 2013. Shandong will participate with 51% of works on the Lajkovac-Ljig and Obrenovac-Ub parts of the motorway, with domestic companies participating in the remainder of the works, due for completion within 38 months. Meanwhile, the Azerbaijan-based firm Azvirt is working on the 40km part of the Ljig-Preljina motorway, worth a total of €308 million.

The Government of Oman has awarded the Ferrovial-Federici Stirling Batco consortium a US$344.39 million (OMR 132.6 million) contract to construct a 41km section of Oman’s Batinah Expressway. According to an Oman national newspaper the package, the fifth of six construction packages associated with the project includes three major bridge works taking the expressway across large wadis. The bridges will contain as many as 20 spans - each with a length of up to 40m.

The Scottish Roads Partnership has been given preferred bidder status by Transport Scotland for the upgrade of the M8, M73 and M74 motorways. Work on the €484.35 million (£415 million) M8, M73 and M74 Motorway Improvements programme, which includes widening sections of each of the motorways, is scheduled to be completed by spring 2017. The Scottish Roads Partnership consortium consists of Ferrovial Agroman (Amey) and Lagan.

France-based infrastructure group Vinci has submitted a bid to construct a new section of the A 20 motorway in Germany between Bad Segeberg and Bremerhaven. The works will include a near 6.5km-long tunnel under the river Elbe between Glückstadt and Drochtersen and a section of the A 26 motorway to Hamburg. The bid by Vinci provides for a private-public-partnership model under which Vinci and the German government would share the estimated project cost of around €2 billion. According to Vinci's bid, const

A 4km tunnel and the widening of the M4 motorway will be the first works on the WestConnex motorway project in Sydney, Australia. The initial works will cost between US$2.72 billion (AUD 3 billion) and $3.6 billion (AUD 4 billion). The tunnel will run from Strathfield to Ashfield and will run under the Parramatta Road. The government has pledged $1.62 billion (AUD 1.8 billion) to the project. Announced in October 2012, the completed 33km WestConnex motorway will cover the western, inner western, and sout

From its 2014 budget, the Indonesian government has allocated US$7.01 billion (IDR 74.90 trillion) to the Ministry of Public Works and $3.6 billion (IDR 39.2 trillion) to the Ministry of Transportation to develop national connectivity through road construction. The move, announced by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, will see road transport capacity increased by 3,854.3km in Papua; East Nusa Tenggara; West Nusa Tenggara; Sulawsi; Kalimantan; Bali; Java; and Sumatera. The government will also maintain 3

According to plans for Moscow road infrastructure, issued by the Department of Construction, 215km of roads, 78 artificial structures and around 150 pedestrian underpasses should be reconstructed and built in Russia’s capital by 2016. Around 87.3km of road surface will be renovated and 11 artificial structures will be built on 11 major highways. Another 30.5km of roads and eight artificial structures will open as a part of a new road network project for the development of Skolkovo innovation centre. A fu

Nigeria’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved reconstruction deals for the five main economic arterial roads worth US$768.43 million (NGN 123.8 billion). A $92.1 million (NGN 14.99 billion) deal will see Julius Berger carry out the Apapa-Oshodi expressway section 2, phase II reconstruction has also been approved. The project is targeted for completion in 15 months. Kopek Construction has secured a $45.1 million (NGN 7.34 billion) deal to complete the Akure to Ilesha road in 21. Triacta Nigeria

All villages in Vietnam will be connected by roads that can be used by motor vehicles by 2015, according to the country’s Ministry of Transport. The key access pledge is part of a road building programme started five years ago that has so far cost US$2.23 billion (VND 47 trillion). Part of the scheme also includes the construction of roads for motorbikes and non-motorised vehicles, especially roads running through poor areas.