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Vietnam has major plans to develop its transportation infrastructure by 2020. The work required could cost in the order of US$45.9 billion. Of this, some 64.1% will be required to improve the national road system. The State Budget has so far provided approximately 30-40% of the financing required. However, the country has a need for international investment to further develop its transportation system. One of the barriers to PPPs has been a lack of clear policy on indirect government support. Another proble

A series of road concessions will be put out to tender in Colombia. The country’s government intends to put 11,000km of road projects out for concession by December 2018. So far 34 of the 4G highway tenders have been set into motion, including 17 as contracts, another 14 that have been awarded and three that are in the process of being awarded. Two projects from the second phase of the 4G road programme, the Sisga-El Secreto highway and the Puerta de Hierro project, have been given the green light to start

An important new road link is being built in Algeria that will connect the port of Oran with the country’s East-West motorway. The new road link is expected to open to traffic in 2017. The work is being carried out by an Algerian-Turkish partnership, Engoa-Makyol. Costing US$483 million, the work will take some 30 months to complete. The new road is expected to improve traffic flow to and from the port and reduce congestion in and around Oran as heavy trucks will no longer have to use existing urban routes.

Finnish heavy machinery operator Juha-Pekka Perämäki takes his food seriously and likes to share what he makes, even if it is only a hot dog Click here to watch him use his Caterpillar 308 excavator to prepare a hot dog, right down to putting some onions inside and then delivering it to his friend standing on the sidelines.

The small matter of a bridge out and the river raging along didn’t stop these men from either getting home or to work. The maneouver is either an abuse of two Komatsu excavators or a creative use of two Komatsu excavators. In the 1960’s there was a game in the UK of seeing how many people could squeeze into a Mini car. In the United States, it was piling into a telephone kiosk. In other places, it’s how many people can fit into an excavator’s bucket. Click here to see how happy most of the passenger

Caterpillar’s recent advertising campaign lends new meaning to the term ‘driving range’. The construction equipment manufacturer loaded several heavy mining and dump trucks with soil and created a moving golf course, complete with greens and even a small waterfall. The company then had two golfers attempt to hit the “greens” as the trucks, including a 928 wheel load, drove around within driving distance of the professionals. Click here to see not just how well the golfers did underneath a clear blu

China’s northwest province of Shaanxi plans to increase its spending on highways by 22% to nearly US$8.9 billion, according to an official statement. World Highways reported last year that Shaanxi was to spend nearly $5.8 billion in 2014. Of the total, nearly $5.8 billion has been allocated for five highway construction projects totalling 261km. Within 2015, there will be 600km of new highways in the province, raising the total highway length to over 5,000km by the end of 2015. Meanwhile, 11 new

The secretary general of the International Road Transport Union, Umberto de Pretto, has been awarded a distinction by the International Road Federation (IRF) in Washington. This is the IRF's highest and most prestigious individual distinction and is the Professional of the Year Award. This award was first established in 1951 and recognises eminent public, private and education sector professionals with an outstanding track record of leadership and commitment to the road transport industry. Throughout the ye

Austrian construction group Strabag will modernise the A10 Oswaldibergtunnel for Asfinag, Austria’s national motorway operator. Work on both tubes, each 4.3km long, will start this month and be finished in June 2017. The €34 million contract includes upgrading the road and tunnel surfaces as well as reinstalling all electrical and mechanical equipment. Thomas Birtel, chief executive of the Strabag Group, said in a statement that the contract will be covered by the group’s construction, engineering and c

The Donora-Webster Bridge over the Monongahela River in the US has been demolished using explosives. The ageing structure spanned the Monongahela River, connecting Washington and Westmoreland Counties in Pennsylvania. The bridge was built in 1908 and originally carried a rail link but in 1938 the tracks were removed and the structure was modified so that it could handle motor vehicle traffic instead. The Donora-Webster Bridge linked Route 837 on the west side of the Monongahela River with Route 906 on the east bank.