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Only days after Croatia rejected initial complaints, contractors Astaldi, Ictas and Strabag said that they will submit new complaints over the Peljeski bridge winning bid. Croatian media report that Turkey's Ictas, Italy's Astaldi and the Austrian company Strabag are planning to submit a new complaint to the Croatian High Court against a decision by the state procurement authority DKOM to reject their previous complaints. At issue is the awarding of the Peljeski bridge and access roads project to the

Plans are being drawn up for a new road link that will connect Myanmar’s main deep-sea port of Dawei with neighbouring Thailand. The development of the new route is being approved by Thailand’s Neighbouring Countries Economic Development Cooperation Agency (Neda). The project is expected to cost US$144.2 million and the road will be around 100km long. A full finance package has yet to be finalised for the project but a series of loans are being sought. Once complete, the road will connect the port of

India’s Madhya Pradesh State is planning to improve connectivity to rural areas with a plan to improve rural roads. Funding for the work is being provided through a loan sourced from the Chinese Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). The loan is worth some US$140 million and will help pay for surfacing work to existing gravel roads and dirt roads. In addition, a road safety programme will be instituted across the state, using a portion of the loan.

Funding for major infrastructure rebuilding work in Puerto Rico has now been secured. The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has provided a budget of US$135 million, which will be used to repair roads and bridges in Puerto Rico that were damaged by hurricane Maria. This budget should be sufficient to pay for 90% of the work needed. However the source of the remaining 10% of the infrastructure repair budget has yet to be announced.

Work is starting in Nigeria for a major upgrading project of the dual carriageway connecting the cities of Aba and Port Harcourt. Situated in the south east of the country, the road link provides an important connection both to and from Port Harcourt. In recent years the road has become extremely potholed, so much so that heavy trucks have switched to other routes instead. This is a major problem as Port Harcourt is one of Nigeria’s key industrial cities. The plans call for the reconstruction of the route

Controversy is growing in Thailand over the US$513 million project for the Kiakkai Bridge. The 9.5km bridge was intended to improve connections with Thailand’s Bang Sue region. However with the State Railway of Thailand having downscaled its development plans for the Bang Sue area, there are suggestions that the combined bridge and highway link is no longer needed. Its impact on traffic flow in Bangkok is also expected to be minimal, further highlighting the lack of need for the link.

FIA Foundation has pledged US$10 million to kick start a United Nations Road Safety Trust Fund, launched by Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed. The new fund is intended to encourage road safety action across the globe, using donations to help unlock government and municipal funding and re-focus national road safety budgets towards proven safe system and interventions. The monies will support projects aimed to strengthen road safety management capacities, improvements to road infrastructure and

Costs for renovating Amsterdam’s IJ and Piet Hein tunnels are higher than expected, Dutch media report. Renovation of the Piet Hein Tunnel will cost €35 million more than the original €85 million budgeted. However, cost for renovating the IJ Tunnel rose only €3.6 million over the planned more than budgeted €55.1 million. Cost increases are due mainly to upgrading of fire safety systems, according to the media. The 1km-long IJ Tunnel, which opened in 1968, is part of a nearly 1.7km system, including

It is time to register for a visitor badge if you are planning to attend Intermat Paris 2018. Time is running out fast … there is less than week to go before Intermat 2018 opens its doors at the Parc des Expositions, Paris Nord Villepinte. The show, which will be the biggest construction equipment exhibition in Europe this year, is also going to incorporate World of Concrete Europe and will take place from 23 to 28 April 2018. Book your tickets now. Click on the “Request your badge” icon