Road Structures

Hitachi excavators aid airport expansion

April 16, 2012

A contractor in Oman is using four Hitachi excavators on a major airport expansion project. The Hitachi ZX400LCH-3 excavators are being used at Muscat International Airport by CCC & TAV joint venture and work began on the project in late 2009. The machines have been supplied by specialist rental company Renaissance Equipment Trading, which earlier took delivery from Hitachi Construction Machinery, Middle East Corporation (Dubai).

Long reach equipment simplifies demolition

April 13, 2012

Demolition is a highly specialised business, as the machinery required to carry out the work on high-rise demolition contracts can be very site specific. Today's high reach demolition rig is no longer simply a tracked excavator with a long boom, indeed some machines cannot be used as excavators at all. Likewise a machine that is dedicated to carrying a 2.5 or 3tonne shear or hammer will need to be built to take the stresses and strains of demolition life. Many of the ultra long boom machines are designed

Major highway project awarded in Mexico

April 13, 2012

Mexican construction firm Impulsora del Desarrollo y el Empleo en America Latina (Ideal) has won a major US$623.4 million contract to construct the Macrolibramiento de Guadalajara link in the country. This link is for a large-scale ring road in Mexico’s Guadalajara metropolitan zone.

High reach excavator safety training launched

April 13, 2012

New demolition tolls are coming to market while safety training for high reach excavator operators has been established With the Intermat equipment exhibition due shortly, various manufacturers are offering new demolition tools to the market. Meanwhile the UK's National Federation of Demolition Contractors (NFDC) is now setting a lead in the sector by offering a high reach excavator training course. The NFDC has partnered with the National Demolition Training Group (NDTG) to develop the world's first train

Construction deals are being signed for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge

April 13, 2012

Construction procurement agreements have been signed with the authorities handling the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge project. The project is worth US$11.56 billion and is is designed to have a lifespan of 120 years. The 50km bridge is planned to open for traffic in 2016 and will connect Zhuhai in China’s Guangdong Province with Macau and Hong Kong. Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry and China Railway Shanhaiguan Bridge Group have signed contracts in connection with the project. The bridge is designed to be able

Plans are being prepared for Norway’s deepest tunnel link

April 13, 2012

The Danish consultant Cowi is working on a study for Norway’s Rogfast Tunnel, which will be the world's longest and deepest tunnel. The 25km tunnel is planned to open to traffic in 2021. It will cost some €1.08 billion to construct. Cowi has landed contracts for preliminary studies but is also keen to take on a portion of detailed planning.

Building Egypt's world class Desert Highway

April 13, 2012

A huge highway upgrade project will transform the Cairo-Alexandria road link into a world-class connection as Mike Woof reports. The work to upgrade the Desert Highway connecting Egypt's sprawling capital Cairo with its major port Alexandria, is one of the country's largest infrastructure projects for many years. This 220km highway link is being widened and improved to cope with the hugely increased traffic volumes resulting partly from Egypt's fast growing vehicle population. The Egyptian economy is strong

High speed bridge demolition minimises disruption

April 13, 2012

A high speed bridge demolition project has been carried out successfully in Germany. Speed was of the essence as the bridge spanned an important road link and had to be removed in a tight time frame, minimising disruption to traffic.

Special purpose add-ons for demolition excavators

April 13, 2012

Long reach demolition excavators are now special purpose machines, Dan Gilkes reports The majority of construction equipment manufacturers offer a range of demolition specific machines, built to meet the needs of a sector of the industry that works its plant harder than most. Reinforced structures, additional hydraulic services, cab and body protection, dust suppression and additional engine air cleaners are just some of the standard alterations required by the demolition contractor. For many years exca

Piling rig performs in difficult conditions

April 13, 2012

Specialist contractor Implenia Bau recently carried out some piling work for main contractor Keller Bauunternehmung on a project at Rorsach in Switzerland. The work involved the construction of a secant pile wall as part of a project to build the Raiffeisenbank, located next to a key road. The company opted to use a Liebherr LB28 piling rig equipped with a DBA200 rotary head. The specifications required the installation of 3,000 linear metres of piles to form a secant drilled pile wall within 10 weeks. The