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Reconstruction of all Azerbaijan’s highways will cost at least US$38.2billion (AZN 30bn), according to the national ministry of transport. The overall length of highways across the country is 20,000km, with reconstruction works predicted to take up to 15 years.

China's Shandong province has set aside US$815.48million (CNY 5.16bn) for road developments in 2012, up 10.44% from its road development allocation in 2011. It will see Shandong's road network reaching 245,000km, according to its 2011-2015 plans. The financial department of the province disclosed that the funds will be mainly used for safety construction, equipment purchase, road expansion and maintenance.

EXIM Bank of China has approved in-principle an initial US$3.30billion loan (PGK 7bn) for infrastructure development in Papua New Guinea. Of the amount, PGK 1bn will be for a new four-lane highway connecting Lae to Nadzab, PGK 2bn for the highway from Gulf to Southern Highlands and PGK 4bn for rebuilding the Highlands Highway. The loan has a low interest rate of 2% for soft loan and 3.5% fir commercial loan.

Vinci has won a new US$1.13billion (€900million) contract in the UK for the maintenance of the Isle of Wight road network. The contract calls for an initial phase of work, then for the maintenance of the 821km road network including streets, roads, cycling paths and sidewalks.

A US$106 million loan deal to help fund a US$200million plus toll road development in Indonesia's Bali could be finalised before the end of June. The banks due to provide the loan are Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI), Bank Central Asia (BCA), Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) and Bank Mandiri.

Councillors in South Yorkshire, England, have recommended approval of a proposed dual carriageway linking the M18 and Robin Hood Airport. The project is expected to create new jobs, spur local investment and release land for housing development. Planning permission has yet to be formally granted, although it is anticipated that construction will begin this summer. The project is funded by US$3million (£2mn) from the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership and £18million from the Regional Growth F

Following the French government's scrapping of a proposed motorway beltway around Strasbourg, professional federations and elected officials at the Alsace chamber of commerce and industry have called for solutions to road access problems within the city. A Strasbourg-based working group is said to be being created to look at potential ways of improving access to the city. These are set to include strict speed regulations and special traffic times for the ring road, the relaunch of the Piémont des Vosges-Str

The Hungarian government has unveiled its road development plans for the next 15 years. A new motorway is set to be built between Szolnok and Budapest. In addition, another motorway would be created between the Austrian border, Kormend, near Zalaegerszeg and Szombathely, Veszprem, Dunaujvaros, Kecskemet, and Szolnok. The motorway would be split into two directions towards Debrecen and Romania.

Moves are afoot within the European Commission to develop tighter CO2 emissions standards for vans. This move forms part of a wider plan to cut emissions from the road transport sector. Under the terms of the plan so far, the EC hopes to introduce a 2020 goal to limit average CO2 emissions from new cars to 95grammes/km. A separate draft includes plans to enforce a provisional goal to limit emissions from new vans to 147grammes/km by the same date.