Road Structures

It now looks as if construction work will start on the new bridge across Italy’s Messina Strait.

Austria’s new A5 autobahn is now officially open to traffic and the highway is also the first in the country being built under the PPP model. The first 16km stretch of the highway was opened in November 2009 on schedule with the second 35km section now having been opened as well. The contract was carried out by concession company Bonaventura Strassenerhaltungs, a partnership headed by German company Hochtief and Austrian firm Alpine Bau each with 44.4% stakes while French firm Egis Preojects holds the remai

The Slovakian government is being asked for financial compensation by Granvia, the group building the country’s new Nitra-Banska Bystrica highway. Granvia is building the highway under the PPP model through a 30-year concession deal. The compensation has been requested due to delays that have been caused by the need for archaeological investigations along the route.

Plans are in hand in Switzerland for a new highway connection between Locarno and the rest of the country’s national highway network. A study by an engineering consultancy has suggested six options, with costs estimated from €530-€798 million, and all will require tunnel construction.

Contractor Mostotrest has finished work on its US$114 million (€88.5 million) project to rebuild the Krestovsky overpasses over the Moscow and Oktyabrskaya railways at Prospect Mira, Moscow. The link is a vital one for Russian’s capital as it is one of the key urban routes linking the Yaroslavskoye Highway with the centre of Moscow. The company started work on the project in 2007 on the decision of the Moscow authorities for CJSC Administration of Capital Development, Utilities, Buildings and Roads (UKSIK

Albania’s Ministry of Transportation has announced that the northern part of the Thirre Tunnel on the Rreshen-Kalimash Highway is due for completion in October. The 170km motorway linking Albania and Kosovo is estimated to be worth €1 billion although the real costs have not been officially revealed.

The Malaysia authorities are offering four key road projects for tender: a 12km road linking Tanjung Bungah and Teluk Bahang; the 4.2km Gurney Drive-Lebuhraya Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu bypass; the 6.5km Penang-Butterworth Tunnel and the 4.6km Lebuhraya Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu-Bandar Baru Air Itam bypass. The project is to start in 2015 and has an estimated total value of US$2.55 billion.

Northern Ireland construction company, Lagan Construction, is celebrating its part in two major infrastructure projects in Ireland. The company said that the openings of the A1 dual carriageway bypass at Newry, Northern Ireland, and the Limerick Tunnel, Republic of Ireland, were major achievements, and had employed 350 people over the past four years. The €138 million Newry bypass, commissioned by the Roads Service in December 2007 and completed five months ahead of schedule, was delivered by Amey Lagan