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The Costa Rican Government is paying compensation worth US$28.4 million for the cancellation of a highway concession package. The compensation relates to the San José-San Ramón highway concession and is being paid to the Brazilian construction company OAS, reports Business News Americas. This follows a legal dispute over the project and is some $10 million less than OAS originally claimed in compensation. The 30 year concession package was cancelled last year due to opposition. There were allegations of a c

The European Union is to help finance studies for the northern border section of the Ionian Highway in Greece. Some €1.56 million is being provided through the TEN-T Programme to help pay for a series of studies required to prepare for the project’s tender process. The studies will cost some €3.12 million in all and related to a 46km stretch of highway connecting the Egnatia Odos-Ionian Highway interchange and Kakavia.The initiative was selected for funding under the 2012 TEN-T Annual Call and includes carr

Interest is said to be strong for a key highway project in Nepal. The project to build the US$1.02 billion Kathmandu-Tarai Fast Track route has attracted interest from China in the shape of the China Infrastructure Investment Corporation (CIIC) and from India with Reliance Infrastructure, and Shapoorji Pallonji. The 76km highway will commence at Khokana and connect capital Kathmandu with Nijgadh. Should CIIC win the deal it has said it will source funding from China’s Exim Bank. The project has been hit by

The Mexican authorities have set out further details on the country’s ongoing infrastructure development plans. Mexico's Transport and Communications Secretariat (SCT) will commence the call for proposals process for highway projects worth a total of US$2.11 billion. The projects include the Paso Express de Cuernavaca, Tuxpan-Tampico highway, Ciudad Obrego by-pass and Barretal by-pass. They also include widening the Tlalpan and Puebla routes. Around $4.366 billion will be invested in roads in Mexico during

Italian firm CONTROLS is expanding its operations with the acquisition of Australian firm IPC Global. The Australian firm offers advanced material testing technologies for asphalt, soil and unbound materials and this deal will both strengthen the international profile of CONTROLS by adding the Australian facilities but will also further develop its portfolio of solutions. IPC Global will continue to be run as an autonomous operation according to CONTROLS as this will allow the Australian company to capitali

The authorities in Lithuania have installed up to 150 speed cameras to help monitor drivers on the country’s road network. This system has proven effective at encouraging locals to respect speed limits, but foreign drivers are not always aware of the speed restrictions and often leave the country before the authorities are able to catch them. With only a number of Lithuania’s neighbouring countries having bilateral agreements over driving offences, this means some drivers escape without charge.

Plans for a major new bridge project have been given the go-ahead by the Chinese Government. The project calls for the construction of a second bridge spanning Hangzhou Bay. The new bridge will provide a more direct connection between the economically important cities of Ningbo in Zhejiang Province and Shanghai. The project looks likely to cost in the region of US$2.95 billion to construct, including the connecting roads. The bridge will shorten the travel distance between the cities from 200-160km.

A major plan for infrastructure is being put forward for Chile. Chile's Construction chamber (CChC) has presented a plan for some US$40 billion in infrastructure improvements to the new Chilean Government. The CChC has highlighted the concession model as being the most effective tool for encouraging private investment in infrastructure. The CChC suggests that Chile has a critical need for infrastructure development, but a serious shortfall of public funds according to a report by Business News Americas. Roa

Proposals have been put forward for a tunnel link in Bulgaria that would be Europe’s longest. The 37km long twin tube tunnel would form part of Bulgaria’s Struma Highway, which runs 150km from Dakalovo to the Greek border. The tunnel option has been proposed largely due to environmental reasons. The route of the highway takes it through the area of the Kresna Gorge but on both environmental and technical grounds, building the road on the surface is out of the question and the best solution is to construct a

Roads and other infrastructure in the Mexican state of Michoacan will benefit from an US$827.84 million (MXN 11 billion) investment, according to Mexico’s Secretariat of Communications and Transport (SCT). The huge cash injection includes funds for seven motorway projects worth over MXN 4.7 billion. The Subsecretary for Infrastructure, Raul Murrieta Cummings, has revealed that the expansion of Arco Norte and the western Morelia bypass are also among the earmarked investment projects, as are the Zitacuaro-