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Indonesia is working on plans to develop its toll road network during 2019. A further 400km of new toll roads will be completed during 2019, bringing Indonesia’s total toll road length to 2,000km in all. Key toll road sections due for completion include stretches of the Jakarta Outer Ring Round 2 and the Balikpapan-Samaridan toll road. Indonesia’s Trans-Sumatra toll road is one of the country’s key projects, with some 561km of the route due to be in use by the end of 2019. The Balikpapan-Samarinda toll road

Construction work is commencing on the project to build a new expressway link in the Philippines. The new road section will link the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) and the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx). The project is costing nearly US$430 million to build and should be ready by 2021. The route will be 8km in length and will feature two lanes in either direction, reducing journey times considerably between the SLEx and the NLEx routes. The work is being carried out for Metro Pacific Tollways (MPTC).

New Zealand’s Mount Messenger bypass project has attracted some controversy and opposition. The 5.2km route will cost around US$129 million (NZ$200 million) to construct and will include two bridges as well as a tunnel section. The alignment has been selected from five options as it minimise environmental damage. However there are complaints from environmentalists that the project will damage a 44ha area that includes forest and wetlands as well as posing a threat to some endangered bird life.

Building the North East Link in Melbourne, Australia, is expected to improve transport and reduce chronic congestion in the city. This will be Victoria State’s largest road building project and will cost US$11.14 billion (A$15.8 billion). The proposed alignment runs through the existing Bulleen Industrial Precinct, which will be relocated as a result.

The tender process is opening in Bosnia for a key tunnel project. The new Racin to Ivan Tunnel section will form part of the important Corridor 5C route. Financing for the project is being provided by the European Investment Bank (EIB). The work is expected to cost €50 million and the project will be managed by Bosnia’s state-owned road business, Autoceste FbiH.

The tender process is opening for a new road link to connect with Sydney International Airport in Australia’s New South Wales State. Called the ‘Sydney Gateway Project’ the new road link is expected to cost in the region of US$1.55 billion (A$2.2 billion) to build. The new route would improve transport connections between Paramatta, on the city’s western side, and the airport, located to the east. Building the new road connection is expected to help lower peak time congestion and journey times for drivers.

A key event is being planned for Europe’s asphalt industry. The European Asphalt Pavement Association (EAPA) will hold the 1st EAPA Workshop on the Use of Rejuvenators in Asphalt Mixtures on the 10th and 11th September 2019. The workshop will be held in the Italian city of Padova at the Caffe Padrocchi (Rossini room) - Via VIII febbraio, n. 15 - 35122 Padova. It will take place in the afternoon of 10th September 2019 and the morning of 11th September, followed by the 5th International ISAP Symposium on A

New data shows that Europe’s rural roads have seen a major improvement in safety levels. For the 2010 to 2017 period, road deaths on rural roads decreased more quickly than those for urban roads. Urban road safety is now becoming a key concern. Of particular concern for urban traffic is the high casualty rate amongst vulnerable road users (VRUs), which represent around 70% of those being killed. Pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists still face unacceptably high risks of being killed or seriously injured o

Studies are underway for a major road upgrade project in Honduras.