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The US infrastructure network requires urgent attention - * T Peter Ruane. America's transportation infrastructure was once the "shining light on top of the hill." Major investments in a national highway, bridge, transit, airport, port and waterway system during the 20th century paid great dividends. The free and efficient flow of goods and people across the 50 states led to unparalleled economic expansion. The mobility and prosperity resulting from an interconnected infrastructure was a model for the world

Last year's flooding in the Australian state of New South Wales left the roads in the Richmond Valley in a poor state with 400km in need of urgent repair. To quickly meet the aggregate demand for the work, Richmond Valley Council called on contract crushing specialist M&M Crushing to produce 100,000tonnes of 20mm road base and 7mm, 10mm and 14mm graded aggregates from Peterson's Quarry.

Egis has an innovative approach to addressing construction defects - *Martin O’Flaherty, Jean Pohu. Defects often become apparent after construction projects are handed over to the client and this is a common problem across most highway projects. The problem is shared by highway operators who have assumed the responsibility of managing such projects.

Jason Barnes reviews the last few decades and the future of tolling technology. Tolling and charging technology has evolved significantly over the last three decades and that evolution is perhaps best illustrated by reductions in or complete removal of impedances to physical progress. Once, it was customary for a driver to pull up to a barrier, make some form of cash payment to a human operative in a booth, and then wait for the barrier to be raised before proceeding. Humans were eventually complemented and

Improving aggregate production and quality levels is not just about investing in the latest equipment but making sure existing machines are optimised - Claire Symes reports. Although the cost of fuel has dropped since last summer's high, reducing the cost/tonne of production is still high on the agenda for most quarry operators, along with improving quality.

In determining the mechanical strength of cement, the European Standard EN 196 prescribes both compressive and flexural tests, so when Italian company Tecnotest designed its current generation of cement testing machines, the aim was to obtain highly accurate results over the full scale despite the wide range involved by implementing a dual scale in a single test bay, using load cells as dynamometers.

MB S.p.A. of Italy has launched the first of a new generation in its bucket crusher range following the successful launch of the units in 2007. According to the company, which currently exports to more than 100 countries, applications for MB bucket crushers, which fit a variety of excavator sizes (and which also include an iron separator) are many.

Indeco's innovative HP18000 hydraulic hammer is now being proven in a tough demolition application in the US. The Italian company hopes to sell more of its innovative HP18000 models now that its class-leading hydraulic system is proving its worth in the field. Tipping the scales at an impressive 11tonnes, the HP18000 is now the biggest breaker available on the market anywhere and is designed for use on carriers that weigh up to 140tonnes. Some 4.6m long and with a 250mm diameter tool, the HP18000 can delive

Tough political decisions have to be made to ensure highway investment - *Dr Max Lay reports

SACYR Chile is constructing a bridge on the new Northeast Access Highway in the capital Santiago, and when complete the 22.5km route will link the suburbs of Vitacura and Colina to the city. Acceso Nororiente, opening this year, is the fifth urban freeway in Santiago and stands out because of the challenges in the construction of its bridges ands tunnels.