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Chile is pushing ahead with infrastructure development. The Ministry of Public Works intends to award five to seven projects during 2016. The Ministry of Public Works has also set a target of having 12-13 major infrastructure projects being awarded and worth a total of US$6 billion by the time the current administration comes to the end of its term. One road project due to be awarded shortly is for the phase two of the Vespucio Oriente link. The tender is expected to open in July 2016. The projects for t

Demand for electric vehicles (EVs) is growing in China. A report from the Shanghai Daily said that data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed EV sales reached 90,000 units, 131% higher in January-April 2016 than for the same period in the previous year. Demand for EVs is particularly strong in the major Chinese cities. Vehicle buyers in Beijing have to submit a request for a vehicle registration. Official data shows that applications for EV registrations reached 17,600, an increase o

Official statistics from India paint a poor picture for road safety, with road deaths increasing. During 2015 there were around 146,000 reported deaths from road crashes in the country, an average of 400/day and an increase of 5% from the previous year. Road crashes increased by 2.5% to around 501,000 in 2015. The actual casualty figure for India may be significantly higher however as many road deaths go unreported. Capital Delhi saw 1,622 road deaths during 2015 the greatest number for any city, althoug

Russia is setting out plans for development of its transport network, with road construction and maintenance amongst the areas being prioritised. The new plan will run from 2016-2021 and has been established by the Transport Ministry. In all the country intends to spend close to US$90 billion developing transportation. The construction of new federal highways and rebuilding of existing links will be high on the agenda for action. During 2016, the plans call for 360km of new motorways opening for traffic.

The Indonesian Government is continuing with its massive programme of toll road expansion work. Deals for a number of key projects have now been agreed, with the work costing a total of US$3.63 billion in all. Construction activity will see the development of these important routes. Several of the road projects are being carried out under the PPP model. These include a 30km link in Banten that will connect Serpong with Balaraja, a 37km road in East Java from Pandaan to Malang and a 99km road in East Kaliman

Argentina has set out plans for a major refurbishment of much of its dilapidated road network. The work will take four years to complete and involves building 2,800km of highways as well as 4,000km of trunk roads. This is a substantial programme of works, which should also deliver around 35,000 much-needed jobs. The Ministry for Transport has drawn up the schedule work the programme, which is expected to cost in the region of US$14.43 billion. The country’s total road system stretches for some 182,000km

Work on five road projects will commence shortly in Ethiopia. The works are for a total of 347km of roads in all and the contracts were awarded by the Ethiopian Roads Authority (ERA) recently. Three of the projects are for building new roads while the other two involve upgrading and maintaining existing links. The work is worth a total of US$245.45 million, with all of the projects being handled by local contractors that are state-owned. Amhara Roads Works Enterprise will carry out work on the third pha

It wasn’t some city located in the globe’s tropical regions where rainfall is measured in metres each year. It was the northern European metropolis of London. This past week rain hammered down onto the fair city and immediate surroundings, creating flash floods that made driving in some areas very dangerous. But some drivers refused to be deterred from taking to their favourite road. A little rain wasn’t going to stop them – even if it amounted to a month’s rain, 35mm, in only several hours. It bei

Tajikistan is planning a major programme of repairs to its roads and bridges. The aim of the work is to improve connectivity. A total budget of US$335.4 million has been set for the work. Of this budget, $195.65 million will be used to rebuild roads.