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Construction of the new highway in India connecting Mumbai with Nagpur will commence in early 2018. The highway will be one of the largest construction projects in India as it will measure 701km long, running through 10 districts. It will cost US$7.09 billion to construct, with $5.4 billion of the funding necessary being provided in the shape of a loan from South Korea. The work is expected to take 36 months to carry out with the Maharashtra State Road Development Corp (MSRDC) managing the project.

A series of road projects are planned for India’s Gujarat State, with the work including the construction of a major new bridge. In all the work is expected to cost US$913.5 million. One key portion of the planned work is for the widening the 201.3km stretch of the NH-47 highway running from Ahmedabad to Rajkot to six lanes. The 116.2km NH-51 route from Porbandar to Dwarka will be widened to four lanes. A new cable-stayed bridge will be built from Okha to Beyt Dwarka on the NH-51 route.

Myanmar’s road safety remains a serious cause for concern. Some improvements have been seen in recent times, but more work needs to be done. There were 74,442 road crashes in Myanmar between the start of 2013 and August 2017. These resulted in 122,520 serious injuries and 28,502 fatalities according to data from the Myanmar Police Force. From January to August 2017, there were 12,250 crashes and 3,556 road fatalities, with 49% of the crashes involving motorcycles.

The Yarga to Kalewa road link connecting Myanmar and India is set for a major upgrade, following discussions between the two nations. The project will be managed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which will handle the role of as Technical Executing Agency. The work is expected to cost US$181.5 million and the project forms part of a wider plan to improve road connections between India, Myanmar and Thailand.

Construction will commence on the new connection from Kosovo’s capital Pristina to Nis in Serbia. The first stretch of the highway to be built will be the 77km section from Nis to Merdare in Serbia. The project is expected to cost €212 million, with a portion of the funding at least being provided by the European Investment Bank (EIB). Plans have yet to be announced for the stretch running from Serbia’s border with Kosovo to Pristina. Once complete this route will provide new links from Serbia to Albania an

The local authorities in Ho Chi Minh City are setting plans for the US$229 million project to build the Thu Thiem 4 Bridge. This new link will connect District 2 and District 7 and the project is being handled by investors under a build-operate model. The deal includes arrangements over building plots in Thu Thiem New Urban Area's divisions No 3 and No 4. The bridge will measure 2.16km long and is intended to cut congestion in the city centre and on roads in Thu Duc and Binh Thanh districts to district 7,

The Italian firm ANAS which manages much of the country’s network is setting out a major programme for road investment. In all €29.5 billion will be spent on upgrading Italian roads managed by ANAs over the next five years. This budget includes the €23.4 billion for new civil engineering work. Of the €23.4 billion, €8.4 billion is aimed at the completion of existing sections of road while €10.5 billion is for maintenance work or safety upgrades.

The Tavrida Federal highway that will connect with the Kerch Strait Bridge in Russia has a projected cost of US$2.92 billion. The road will run through Kerch, Feodosia, Simferopol, Bakhchisarai, and Sevastopol and will measure 277km long. The project is being handled by contractor VAD Company.

A large chunk of the funding required for the improved road connection between Kenya and Tanzania has now been sourced. The African Development Bank (AfDB) will provide US$300 million of the financing required for the project. However the remaining $485 million of funding necessary still remains to be secured.

Concern has been expressed at the increase in road deaths in the US. There were 37,461 road deaths on US roads in 2016, an increase of 5.6% from 2015. The data comes from the US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The NHTSA data was collected from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It also shows that the vehicle distance travelled on US roads in 2016 increased by 2.2%.