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Work on a major interchange in the Ghanaian city of Kumasi is close to completion. This is reputed to be the biggest interchange in West Africa and is located at Sofoline, forming part of a project to rebuild Sunyani Road which runs through Kumasi. This interchange has been partially opened and has already helped to cut congestion in the city although the project has suffered a series of delays. Several portions of work on the interchange still remain to be carried out and include lighting and signage. This

The recent bankruptcy of the Austrian contractor Alpine Bau has affected a number of key projects across Europe in countries including Norway, Poland and now Romania. Following Alpine Bau’s bankruptcy, Romania’s national roads authority, CNADNR, cancelled the Austrian contractor’s contract to build a section of highway from Nadlac-Arad. So far, Alpine Bau has been paid €69.5 million to build a 16.6km section of the highway and around 85% of the work has been completed. It is not clear at this stage how the

A new study by the French motorway company association, ASFA, reveals improved safety during 2012. The data shows that the number of people killed on French motorways was 26% lower for 2012 than for 2011. Of the fatal accidents that did occur, nearly 40% were due to driver inattention. Meanwhile driver fatigue was another major issue causing one third of fatal accidents. Alcohol or drug use was responsible for 20% of fatalities on French motorways. Speeding was attributed to 15.7% of fatalities on French mo

Further problems have hit the Blanka Tunnel in Czech capital Prague. The link has been hit by a series of delays and is now suffering from leaks. The project is costing €1.43 billion and is due to open in May 2014. The company building the tunnel Metrostav, has stated that the leaks are likely to be temporary and should be dealt with by the time the link opens to traffic, when it will become part of the Prague ring road. Construction work started on the tunnel in 2007 but the project has faced a series of p

Work in Nigeria will start on upgrading the Keffi-Lafia road in Nigeria to a dual carriageway status along its route. The US$1.8 billion project will run through Benue State capital Makurdi to Enugu, the capital of Enugu State and will be constructed by Chinese contractors. The route is of major importance to Nigeria and carries a heavy traffic volume at present. Constructing the dual carriageway will pose challenges given the topography at various sections of the route. Also in Nigeria, Chinese funding wil

The tender process is commencing for the Américo Vespucio Oriente expressway (AVO) in Chilean capital Santiago. The US$940 million tender is due to be awarded in February 2014. The 9km highway link will connect El Salto with Príncipe de Gales Avenue and will feature three lanes running in either direction, with a design speed of 80-100km/h. An underground section of this urban highway looks likely to be constructed using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) while it may also include a section in an ope

Volvo CE reports that its operating margin has recovered in the second quarter of 2013, although the firm has been hit by weaker sales, especially in the mining industry. This situation reflects the continued slowdown in the size of the total market for construction equipment and the company’s sales were down 19% during the period. However the firm said that behind the headline figures there were underlying positives, not least a good order intake and improving trends in China, Europe and the Middle East, a

Malaysia’s Lebuh Raya Pantai Timur 2 (LPT2), highway is expected to open for traffic by September 2014. A series of delays have held back work on the 184km highway, although the 72km Bukit Besi-Kuala Terengganu section has been open since the third quarter of 2011. Some of the delays can be attributed to price increases in the cost of materials, which caused problems for contractors involved with the project. Work is ongoing at present on the section of highway from Bukit Mempusi-Kemamn's Felda Kerteh 6. Me

A novel online training platform has been developed for the road sector by the Spanish Road Association (AEC). This move follows research suggesting a demand for online training tools in the road infrastructure sector. The www.aecarreteraformacion.com website is said to have an extensive array of training tools suitable for road professionals in Spain as well as in Latin America. The AEC platform has been developed with an international focus, and is intended to meet the demands of road technicians and mana

A new report from the US-based Freedonia Group suggests that China’s expenditure on construction will grow at around 8.5%/year until 2017. This will follow demand due to increasing urbanisation and industrialisation, as well as rising income levels. The continued investment by the Chinese Government in infrastructure will be another major factor in the growth in construction spending. But growth will be more moderate than the 16%/year seen during the 2007-2012 period. The Chinese Government had a stimulus p