Road Structures

Repair work is underway in Nepal on a key bridge located on the Ratna Highway. The 117m bridge over the Bheri River links Surkhet and Dailekh was built in 1988 by a Chinese construction company and now required urgent repair. Work being carried out includes the removal of corrosion from truss sections using sand blasting and repainting to provide long term protection. Another major part of the repair involves raising the Eastern end of the bridge, which has damaged bolts and subsided due to overweight vehic

Romania's long planned highway expansion programme is finally gathering pace. Funding for the projects has been provided but although many feasibility studies had been carried out, little work had been carried out until now.

Mexican president Felipe Calderon spoke at the opening of the 2011 PIARC World Road Congress in capital Mexico City. Calderon highlighted key issues such as his country's major investment in infrastructure, a move designed to boost mobility and the country's economy.

Euro Auctions reports strong pre-auction registrations for its sale at Valencia in Spain on 30th September. The firm is also increasing its team in Spain with the appointment of two additional staff.

International ground stabilisation specialist, Tensar has successfully defended its TriAx product range against several Chinese patent infringements.The TriAx geogrid, patented in many countries around the world by Tensar for use in ground stabilisation, road, rail and other applications, has received many awards for innovation and has achieved considerable commercial success since its introduction a few years ago.

A series of stamps has been produced in Malaysia that focus on the innovative project to save capital Kuala Lumpur from both chronic traffic congestion and flooding during periods of high seasonal rainfall.

Nepal's Department of Roads is now analysing traffic data based on research work into congestion carried out by consultants. Two local consulting firms were appointed to carry out a study of flyovers, underpasses and ramps in congested areas.

Plans are in hand in Mongolia’s capital Ulaanbaatar for a series of road and bridge projects that will improve the city’s connectivity with the rest of the country. Included in the planned works are works to build five new bridges, 139km of roads and widen 150km of roads. The transport plan will run until the end of 2013. Ulaanbaatar will develop a further two bridges, rebuild 200km of roads and run 73km of roads in the period from 2013-2016. At present, there are 64 bridges and 450km of paved roads in Ulaa

The local authorities in China's Sichuan Province are planning a massive expansion and improvement programme targeted at rural roads. Over US$12.7 billion will be invested in rural road development during China's 12th Five-Year Plan, which is for the 2011-2015 period.

China is helping provide funding for Nepal's road expansion. The Chinese Government has agreed a deal with the Nepalese Government to expand the Kathmandu Valley ring road. The feasibility study for the project has been completed and design work is currently underway.