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New tunnel projects planned to be built in Sydney will help to reduce travel times for commuters. The work is expected to cost US$10.36 billion (A$14 billion) in all. Construction work will commence in 2020 and will take until 2026 to be completed if the planned schedule is adhered to. The new tunnels will help to reduce journey times to and from the central business district as well as from Sydney’s international airport.

Six new road corridor projects are being given the go-ahead in Argentina. These will be carried out under the PPP model, with the work expected to cost some US$12.5 billion during the first four years. One of the first road building projects to commence under the programme will be for the highway connecting Rosario with Rufino, National Route 33. The six road corridor projects are for the A, B, C, E, F and Sur routes.

Vietnam is expanding its road and highway network with a series of major projects, as well as numerous upgrades to rural roads. A funding deal worth US$1.6 billion is being provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the Ben Luc yo Long Thanh National Highway. This route connects Dong Nai, Ho Chi Minh City and Long An. A portion of the necessary funding for ground clearance for the route is being provided by Vietnam’s State Budget. However the country is stopping work on the National Highway 3 project

A South Korean contractor, GS Construction, looks set to build the new Selander Bridge in Tanzania’s capital, Dar es Salaam. The deal was signed between GS Construction and the Tanzania National Roads Agency (Tanroad). The new bridge comes with a pricetag of some US$126.26 million and will take until 2021 to complete. The project includes the 1.4km bridge plus upgrades to up to 7km of connecting roads. Nearly 83% of the funding required for the project will be supplied by South Korean sources, with the

A construction partnership is looking to build a new toll road connecting Cikunir with Ulujami in Indonesia. The route will be 36.5km long and will help to reduce the chronic congestion around the capital, Jakarta. Building the route is expected to cost US$1.57 billion. The firms involved in the project include both state-owned and privately held companies.

Ghana is looking to secure a major financing package from China for road infrastructure improvements. The intended funding deal will be in the form of a loan, which will be used to build new road links and upgrade existing routes. One of the key projects being prioritised is an upgrade to the route connecting Wa with Bulenga in the north of the country and close to the border with Burkina Faso.

India continues to develop its road network, with the country’s ambitious plans moving ahead. Contracts for 6,320km of road projects have so far been awarded by the current Indian Government. This is for the first phase of the programme and the work is worth a massive US$20.95 billion in all. However the entire programme of road development will cover some 84,000km of roads and will be worth an eye-popping $109.1 billion.

Ecuador is working on plans for the new South Crossing Bridge (SCB) spanning the Guayas River, to improve transport connections for the port of Guayaquil. The plans call for the SCB to be constructed in three sections, with the project expected to cost US$1.04 billion. The schedule calls for the link to be completed in 2022, with work starting in the third quarter of 2018. The project is being handled under 40-year concession deal that encompasses the bridge and highway links.

The concession package for a key road link in Ecuador has been awarded to the contractor Verdu. The firm has a 20-year concession for the 162km road link connecting Guayaquil with Salinas. The arrangement is being handled under the PPP model and is requiring an initial investment of US$72 million. A further sum of $232 million will be required to maintain and upgrade the link.