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UK exports of construction and earthmoving equipment continued its upward trend in Q2 of 2017, showing growth for the fourth consecutive quarter. Overall, Q2 2017 levels were the highest for two years, since Q2 2015, according to the latest quarterly report from the UK’s CEA – Construction Equipment Association. Exports in Q2 2017, increased by 5.3% in weight terms (tonnage of machines) compared with Q1 2017 and 2% in monetary terms, reaching nearly €777 million (£714 million).

Construction work is now restarting on the BR-163 highway in Brazil, following a four month cessation of activities. The work on the stretch of the route in Mato Grosso do Sul is being carried out by CCR and MSVia. However the pace of progress on the project has been lowered and is at a slower rate than originally specified. Traffic volumes on the route are lower than when work commenced in 2013 and complexities with the environmental legislation have also caused headaches for the contractors. So far, MSVia

Construction of a stretch of the S7 dual carriageway in Poland will commence shortly following the signing of contracts for the work. The stretch, connecting Lotnisko junction with Grojec's ring road, will cost €186.66 million to build. Three contracts were awarded by the Polish General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA) for the work. Rubau Polska will build a 7km section while a 14.8km stretch will be built by IDS-Bud and Mota-Engil Central Europe will build an 8km portion of the link.

Plans are proceeding on Paraguay’s project to construct the country’s new bi-oceanic corridor. The tender process to construct the 227km route from Carmelo Peralta to Loma Plata has attracted bids from four consortia. The four consortia are: China Machinery Industry Construction Group (Sinoconst); Consorcio Corredor Vial Bioceanico; Jose Cartellone Construcciones Civiles; and Consorcio Bioceanico. The project is expected to cost US$400 million.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Transport is to prioritise construction of the new North-South Expressway. The project will provide a much improved connection between the country’s north and south, speeding transport and boosting safety. It will feature from four to six lanes and have speed limits ranging between 80km/h and 120km/h. The cost of the project is expected to be US$13.75 billion, with 17 of the 20 work packages being carried out under the build-operate-transfer model.

The Polish Government intends to lower its road development budget for 2018. The country intends to spend close to €875 million on upgrades to the national road network, a drop of €110.83 million from 2017. This budget reduction marks a notable change as the Polish Government has (until now) been steadily increasing spending on road development over successive years from 2010. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Development is requesting that the Ministry of Finance should increase the budget however.

Revisions are being put forward for the ring road project around Czech capital Prague. An alternative route has been proposed and this has received initial approvals, so that further analysis of the plans can be carried out. The 10km stretch of ring road will now cost around €1.53 billion, a reduction of around 33% from the original alignment. The project for the new route will include the construction of a number of bridge sections and will be shorter than the first plan. A study will be carried out into t

Indonesia’s government has set an impressive 2018 budget of some US$30.72 billion to develop infrastructure in the country. The funding will be split between the Ministry of Public Housing and Works, the Ministry of Transportation and for the special allocation fund. The Indonesian Government is aiming to boost economic growth during 2018 through its infrastructure development programme.

Colombia is moving ahead steadily with its 4G road development scheme. According to the Colombian Chamber of Infrastructure (CCI), the Colombian Government has awarded 31 of the 4G projects to date. And of these 31 projects, 21 are being built at present with another eight in the process of securing financing. In all these 21 active projects and the eight close to commencement are worth a total of US$4.37 billion. The Colombian Government hopes that financing will be secured for a further two projects by th

Construction work on the US$3.5 billion project to widen a stretch of the I-5 highway in California will commence at the end of 2017. The project may well include a tunnel stretch under the Westfield UTC to meet environmental requirements. Once the work is complete, the newly widened highway stretch will feature increased capacity and this is expected to cut congestion and reduce journey times at peak periods. The project is moving ahead following the recent conclusion of a long term legal dispute concerni