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The ‘Drug, Alcohol and Speed’ Commission at the influential Conseil National de la Sécurité Routière (CNSR) in France were expected to recommend during a meeting today a reduction from 90 to 80km/h for the maximum authorised speed limit on the country’s entire secondary road network.

Belgium’s €577.9 million A11 motorway Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project has become the first greenfield infrastructure works to receive credit enhancement under the European Commission and EIB (European Investment Bank) Project Bond Initiative. The financing, secured by an EIB letter of credit, is part of the test phase for the 2012 Brussels-launched Project Bond Initiative aiming to invigorate capital market financing for infrastructure projects. The A11 motorway is due for completion in 2018. The

Bouygues Construction of France and Lend Lease Group (Lend Lease) of Australia have become preferred tenderer to design and build the US$2.71 billion (AUD 3 billion) NorthConnex motorway in Sydney. Comprising twin 9km tunnels that will connect the southern end of the M1 Motorway at Wahroonga to the Hills M2 Motorway at its Pennant Hills Road interchange, the NorthConnex motorway is pending for planning approval and finalisation of contract terms. Transurban and its partners in Westlink M7 said the projec

The Spanish government may launch a state-owned motorway operator as part of a plan to solve the economic difficulties that nine operators are currently undergoing. As part of the plan, the operators' will see their debt to banks reduced from €3.6 billion. A further solution, which is also being considered by the government, is to dissolve financially challenged operators in an orderly fashion. At present, the operators and the government are in negotiation over a possible solution.

The Canadian province of Saskatchewan has set one of the biggest highways budgets in its history for the 2014 fiscal year. The budget of US$591.11 million (CAD 664.5 million) represents an almost CAD 90mn ($80.06 million) rise from last year's total. In 2014, the trucking industry is likely to see several highway upgrades with enhancements to culverts and bridges. The Highway 39 and Highway 7 is also planned to be twinned from Saskatoon to Delisle. Also, some highways are planned to be changed to Supergrid

The Estonian government is said to have channelled only half of fuel excise revenues into highway construction and maintenance works – despite expectations that 75% of all such revenues would go to these key areas. Sven Pertens, CEO of Lemminkäinen Eesti, claims that if the 75% investment expectation is not achieved, road conditions nationally will deteriorate. Pertens says that motorways of national importance are currently in a satisfactory condition, whereas regional and local roads are in poor condit

Habtoor Leighton Group (HLG) has been awarded a US$1.7 billion contract to design and build a new orbital highway and truck route near Doha. Under the Qatar public works authority-awarded contract, HLG and joint venture partner Al Jaber Engineering will look to complete the design and construction works in around 36 months. The project will involve five main interchanges and 56km of road works.

Work on the new 218.5-kilometre Mianyang-Jiuzhaigou Expressway in Sichuan province, China is expected to begin later this year. Upon completion of the US$4.91 billion (CNY 30.58 billion) megaproject, the travel time from Chengdu city in the province to Jiuzhaigou via the expressway will take only 210 minutes. The expressway is expected to be completed within 60 months and is scheduled to be operational no later than 31 December 2018. Meanwhile, construction of the Ziyuan-Xing'an highway has fully started.

Work has begun on Section II of Indonesia’s Cinere-Jagorawi Toll Road. The 5.5km route is costing US$210.25 million (IDR 2.4 trillion) and Section II will have a length of 5.5km. The project by Translingkar Kita Jaya is earmarked for completion in February 2016.