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Machine control systems from MOBA are playing an important role in laying out a new street in the southern German village of Apfeldorf in Bavaria. New development in the village is seeing the construction of 14 new homes as well as a new street being built and the time savings and cost savings of machine control systems are proving highly beneficial. Although well proven in larger projects, these technologies are now being used in smaller construction projects also, with major advantages for the users. Loc

Operator comfort, improved durability and easier maintenance head the list of new features on Caterpillar’s extensively redesigned M318F and M320F Wheeled Excavators. The machines also have lower operating costs coupled with improved operator safety features, according to Caterpillar. But they retain the best features of predecessor models, including the Cat Smartboom, ride control, load-sensing hydraulics, dedicated swing pump, hydraulically driven cooling fan, large working envelope and configuration/work

Wacker Neuson has improved damping for the centre pole on its reversible vibratory plates to reduce hand-arm vibration below 1.5 m/s², meaning there is no time limit for operation of the machines. The improvements are on machines in the weight class of 300kg to 800kg, or 40kN to 100kN of compaction performance. The diesel-powered vibratory plates DPU 4545, DPU 5545 and DPU 6555 achieve values of less than 1.5 m/s², while the DPU 4045 lies at just 0.9 m/s². Wacker Neuson said the improvements take int

German loader manufacturer Kramer-Werke has revised its products as part of a rebrand programme. The Kramer brand now stands alone, without the addition of allwheel. As part of the rebrand, Kramer has adapted machine names to indicate size classes for its economy 5 Series and premium 8 Series products. For example, 8095T stands for a Series 8 product with a bucket capacity of 0.95m3 and the T stands for tele wheel loader. The new wheeled loader models of the 5 Series, 5075, 5085, 5085T and 5095 with

Atlas Copco has introduced a new range of Essential (ES) hydraulic breaker attachments which the company claims give rental centres and contractors a fast return on investment by simplifying maintenance and operation. The three ES models - ES 60, ES 70 and ES 80 - are very narrow to promote good visibility and handling on work sites for construction, landscaping and renovation, said Kevin Loomis, business line manager for Atlas Copco Construction Equipment. Operators can cut narrow and precise trenches

Close to Larvik in Norway’s Vestfold County and around 80km south of Drammen, two tunnels are currently under construction as part of a state-funded infrastructure development programme. The project, which began earlier this year, comprises 7km of four lane highway – part of the E18 major route – linking the towns of Bommestad and Sky. This includes the new Larvik and Matineå tunnels, which will span 2.8 and 1.3km respectively. Worth €187 million, this project was awarded to Skanska Norway, the second la

A new UK report suggests local authorities should think twice about automatically incorporating cycle lanes in road design. David Arminas reports Environmental and social arguments for getting more people onto bicycles are well known. The theory is the more people cycling, the less traffic congestion and less air pollution from cars. Well-defined cycle lanes can encourage people who might otherwise be too nervous to take to a bicycle. But just how effective are cycle lanes for increasing the safety of

Construction work is on track with the new cable-stayed bridge close to Morocco’s coastal city of Rabat. The cable-stayed bridge will form part of Rabat’s new bypass and will be the largest such structure in Africa when it is complete, later this year. The bypass crosses the Bouregreg valley and measures some 41km. The bridge itself will measure 950m and span 376m, with three lanes in each direction. Construction of the bridge has been financed by the World Bank and Autoroutes du Maroc (ADM) and is costing