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New more efficient tools for loading and hauling duties
September 30, 2013
A number of key manufacturers are offering major improvements to their product offerings for loading and excavating. Key developments have been seen in engines and transmissions in particular, with vast reductions in emissions as well as improved fuel economy and working efficiency. Caterpillar’s 966K XE wheeled loader is one of the firm’s most sophisticated new models, with power from a 240kW diesel being delivered through an innovative continuously variable transmission (CVT). This technology is new t
Transstroy’s ambitions for Sochi 2014 Olympics and beyond
September 30, 2013
Igor Pankin is CEO of Transstroy, one of Russia’s largest transport infrastructure construction companies, a part of Oleg Deripaska’s Basic Element group. Created in 1992, the company has completed major construction projects with a combined worth of more than €4 billion (RUB 121 billion) The Olympic motto, ‘Swifter, Higher, Stronger’, is very appropriate for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics – and not just in reference to the action in its stadiums and on its slopes. The city has been transformed from a small
New Central Ring Road around Moscow to be built by 2018
September 30, 2013
Eugene Gerden evaluates Moscow’s new ring road mega project The Russian government plans to complete implementation of one of the most ambitious projects in the country’s road building industry in recent years, which involves construction of The Central Ring Road around Moscow by 2018. The new road should be built by the next presidential elections, while its length will be 339km. It is expected to be comprised of five sections and will be located 50km away from Moscow Ring Road, a ring road encircling the
Nigeria’s Eko Atlantic project: a city on the sea
September 27, 2013
Imagine a megapolis rising, Atlantis-like, from the sea. An urban development similar in size to New York’s Manhattan that boasts thriving business and residential districts to help transform not just a city but an entire country. It sounds like the stuff of science fiction. But the Eko Atlantic project in Lagos, Nigeria, is real and has become one of the most dazzling and most discussed construction developments in the entire world. One hundred years ago, the area of land on which the new city will be bu
A tricky road update is planned for an important rural road in Brazil
September 27, 2013
Brazilian consultant SOTEPA has been closely involved with infrastructure improvements in a series of projects in the southern state of Santa Catarina. One of the most important of these has been design work for the SC-477 state highway, which connects the east of the state to Brazil’s Littoral zone and the BR-101 federal highway. The SC-477 has had to be upgraded as part of it has been unsurfaced, without an asphalt surface between Itaiópolis and Doutor Pedrinho. The road provides an important link for the
Senior ADB figure urges governments to act on sustainable transport
September 27, 2013
Multilateral development banks (MDB) are determined to do all they can to encourage governments of developing countries meet key sustainable transport targets, according to a senior figure at one of the world’s biggest MDB’s. Guy Woodford reports Tyrrell Duncan, Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) director of Transport and Communications Division, East Asia has been at the forefront of MDB efforts to enhance sustainable transport and road safety in developing countries. Speaking during a break in talks at the In
Intelligent bulldozers provide productivity boost
September 27, 2013
New smart dozers provide faster working and greater efficiency - Mike Woof reports Both Caterpillar and Komatsu are making key moves in offering intelligent bulldozing capabilities on their latest machines. In the medium-sized bulldozer market, both companies have sophisticated new models that will increase both productivity and finish quality, while lowering running costs for the user.
Out with Russian bureaucracy, in with foreign road investment
September 27, 2013
Transport journalist Eugene Gerden reports on why foreign companies are likely to become keener to invest in Russia’s huge array of major road construction projects The Russian government led by president Vladimir Putin is stepping-up its efforts to get greater foreign company investment in Russian road building by creating favourable trading conditions, including the elimination of bureaucratic and administrative barriers.
The International Road Federation in Geneva has transport at its core
September 27, 2013
A reliable knowledge base covering the effectiveness of different road safety engineering treatments allows informed decisions for the development of future road safety programmes. The information can be used to allocate resources to the most cost-effective projects, such as ones that will reduce casualties the most per dollar spent, as inaccurate information on treatment effect may lead to inefficient use of limited resources. A recent project undertaken for Australian and New Zealand road authorities (Aus
Caterpillar’s hybrid excavator uses evolutionary technology
September 27, 2013
Caterpillar’s hybrid excavator represents evolutionary rather than revolutionary technology - Mike Woof reports One of the key things to understand about Caterpillar’s hybrid excavator is that its fuel savings come not from a single technology, but from a range of features that have been integrated together. The sophisticated engine works hand in hand with the advanced hydraulics, with electronics governing the whole operation and optimising efficiency. And while none of these technologies is new in it