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Faster than a speeding cow – your local bus maybe?
May 22, 2015
A methane-powered bus has set a speed record for a regular city bus of nearly 124km/h at a test track in the UK, according to media reports. The bus, from the southern city of Reading, was converted to run on compressed methane from cow manure and was painted black and white like a Friesian cow. Mechanics removed the bus’s engine governor that restricted the vehicle’s speed to 90km/h. The bus then broke the record on the banked high-speed circuit at Millbrook Proving Ground, near the city of Bedford.
Tappen Zee Bridge box seat is the best in the house
May 21, 2015
Bridge construction has sometimes been called theatre, with many acts and players building up to a finale. There is no better place to watch good theatre than from a prestigious box seat. This is especially true for the new Tappen Zee Bridge that is taking shape across the Hudson River in the US state of New York. In this case the box seat is just that – a box that sits high atop the old bridge, and it is occupied by a pair of peregrine falcons and their three babies. The family can be seen on-line thanks
Golden opportunities in the MINT - Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria, Turkey
May 21, 2015
Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria, Turkey – Global Report offers up some food for thought about where smart money might be headed within the next several years – David Arminas writes China’s rate of growth may be slowing down, but other South East Asian companies are being quick to offer alternate investment opportunities, notably Indonesia. Nigeria, too, has had issues with security of investment. But there are signs that the government may be getting serious at last about tightening up rules and regulation
Global growth in machine rental
May 20, 2015
The machine rental sector is undergoing significant expansion worldwide – Dan Gilkes reports. Plant hire, equipment rental, leasing, call it what you will, being able to use a machine when and where you need it, with no further concerns relating to ownership costs, depreciation or sudden repair bills, remains a compelling argument for many contractors. Which is one of the main reasons for the continued growth in popularity of equipment rental across the world. Rental has been big business in the UK, the US
Optimising operations with construction software gains
May 20, 2015
Innovations in construction software are helping boost project efficiency and optimising project operations – Clive Davidson writes Over the past decade, while construction engineers have been putting up buildings or infrastructure, software engineers have been developing a parallel universe where virtual buildings or infrastructure can be created in ever increasing detail. What started with 2D architectural drawings in computer-aided design (CAD) systems, has become a multi-dimensional world, with 3D ge
Plans in hand for new Indonesian tolled highway projects
May 20, 2015
Plans are moving forward in Indonesia for the development of a major new tolled highway project. Jakarta Tollroad Development is at present working on purchasing the land required for a key section of the toll road. The new route will run from Sunter in North Jakarta to Semanan in West Jakarta. The plans call for the project to be completed before the Asian Games in 2018. The first phase of the project is for the 20.23km Semanan-Sunter section and the 9.44km long Sunter-Pulogebang stretch. The second phase
Hamburg highway expansion programme
May 20, 2015
A €1.6 billion project is in hand in Germany to widen the A7 Autobahn between Bordesholm and Hamburg's tunnel Elbtunnel. Funding for the project is being provided jointly by the German Government, the city of Hamburg, the province of Schleswig-Holstein and the German engineering firm Deutsche Einheit Fernstraßenplanungs- und -bau (DEGES). The work should be complete by 2018. The project involves increasing the number of traffic lanes in the Schleswig-Holstein section from four to six and in Hamburg from six
STRABAG wins Romanian highway project
May 20, 2015
Austrian contractor STRABAG is heading the consortium carrying out a highway project in Romania. The project is to build the country’s A3 highway connecting Ungheni and Ogra. Work on this 10km section of highway will take 12 months to complete. STRABAG holds the majority stake in consortium handling the €70 million contract.
New Vietnam highway will cut travel times
May 20, 2015
Vietnam’s new Ha Long-Van Don highway will cut travel times between Hanoi and the economic zone in Van Don and Ha Long city. The new 60km highway will also cut traffic on National Road 18 and the project is costing some US$650.4 million. The construction work will require 29 months to complete and the project is being handled under the build-operate-transfer model. The Phuong Thanh and Cong Thanh transport construction investment firms will carry out the work.
The use of telematics in construction machines is growing
May 20, 2015
Demand for telematics technology is growing, as equipment users begin to lean the value of these systems – Alan Dron reports With construction projects increasingly operating to wafer-thin profit margins, any technological assistance that can keep the accounts in the black is welcome. This is particularly the case with those projects where contractors can share a larger slice of the profits if they complete their work ahead of schedule. The downside, of course, is that they also share the pain if the