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Caterpillar is closing its factories in Aurora Illinois and at Gosselies in Belgium, with the loss of around 3,000 jobs in all. The Aurora facility makes wheeled loaders, with production being switched over to facilities at Decatur, also in Illinois, as well as North Little Rock in Arkansas. This will result in the loss of 800 jobs at the Aurora plant although there will be more personnel required at the Decatur and North Little Rock facilities that will offset the losses Meanwhile the firm says that the

A continuing improvement in road safety is being seen in Vietnam. There were 3,800 people injured on Vietnam’s roads in the first quarter of 2017, a notable decline from the same period in the previous year. Road deaths also dropped in the first quarter of 2017 compared with the same period in the previous year, falling to 2,100. Meanwhile the total number of road crashes in the first quarter of 2017 dropped by 3.51% to 4,800. The casualty statistics for 2016 improved compared with 2015 also, with road dea

Argentina looks set to benefit from a series of major new transport projects. Loans worth up to US$650 million will help pay for a series of projects, including Argentina’s contribution to the Agua Negra Tunnel link with neighbouring Chile. The loans will be organised by the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB). A further loan of $156 million to road concession company AUSA will help pay for transport projects in Buenos Aires, including the construction of the Lacarra Bridge to connect with Lanus and upgr

The Peruvian Government is evaluating the potential for a new central highway. The route of the highway would keep it at a distance from rivers so as to reduce the risk of flooding. Existing highways have suffered serious flooding as well as landslides in Peru in recent months. Constructing the new highway could cost from US$ 1billion to $1.5 billion while the work would take around five years to carry out.

Back to the Future met Ghostbusters on the streets of London recently

A new bridge will be built spanning the Samur River, which forms part of the border between Azerbaijan and Russia. Construction work is expected to commence later this year. Much of the initial financing for the bridge project will come from Azerbaijan’s budget, although Russia’s Federal Road Agency will pay its portion in due course, as well as funding work on the connecting roads. The project should be complete by 2019 if all goes to plan.

LiuGong has opened its new Global Customer Experience Centre in Liuzhou, China. The facility is intended to boost cooperation between LiuGong and Liuzhou Vocational and Technical College (LVTC) and also extends LiuGong’s offering to its global dealers and customers. The Customer Experience Centre will be managed by both LiuGong and LVTC as a platform for talent cultivation, service training to LiuGong employees and dealers as well as for its customer experience. The facility can provide multi-functional

Drivers in Nicaragua’s capital Managua look set to benefit from a series of road projects being planned. The work is intended to cut congestion at peak periods and smooth traffic flow. One of the major projects will be the upgrading of the Juan Pablo II motorway, with the addition of five new flyover sections. A loan worth US$105 million from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) plus another loan worth $136 million from the European Investment Bank (EIB) will help pay for the project.

A combination of federal and state funding will help pay for key road projects in the Australian state of Queensland. In all some US$381.2 million (A$500 million) will pay for five major road projects in the state. One of the biggest projects involves widening the Pacific Motorway between Mudgeeraba to Varsity Lakes to six lanes. This work will help boost capacity, reducing delays for drivers using the route. In addition, the work also includes building additional lanes on the Pacific Motorway where it meet

Contracts for a major highway project in Kenya have now been awarded. Two Chinese contractors will handle two sections of the new highway with the two portions of the project worth nearly US$175 million in all. The project involves improvements to the 206km road that runs through Isebania, Kissi and Ahero in Kenya to upgrade it to highway status. The project is of regional importance for East Africa as it will also connect with South Sudan and Tanzania and become part of a new road connection between the th