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Police in the Swiss border city of Basel recently carried out random breath tests on drivers to check for alcohol use. The tests use conventional technology for detecting whether drivers are over the limit for alcohol. The measures are considered highly effective in providing a deterrent to drivers for getting behind the wheel after drinking. A pan-European TISPOL operation last month saw police conduct 1,203,095 roadside breath tests for alcohol, of which 13,236 were positive. Motorists were also checked f

Work on a major US$241.9 million (£150m) road widening scheme in the East Midlands region of England has started near Nottingham. The works will focus on an 11.26km (seven mile) stretch of the A453 between M1 Junction 24 and the A52 Nottingham Ring Road – a major link serving Nottingham, the M1 and East Midlands Airport.

An overpass demolition job in the US state of Washington caused problems when a chunk of the roadway fell the wrong way. Luckily no-one was hurt when the chunk of reinforced concrete dropped but it caused serious damage to water lines and other utilities that will now have to be repaired. The project forms part of a series of upgrades to the key SR16 highway link.

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) in the United States has named Charlie O’Brien as senior vice president. The appointment is said by the AEM to be in recognition of his increased leadership role for the association. These include activities under AEM’s new strategic plan, initiated in 2012, to better serve all members’ current and future business-development needs.

Alternative fuels used for road transport in Spain are to benefit from EU support. Under the TEN-T Programme the EU will co-finance a study to determine the required steps to integrate Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) refuelling technology in Spain. The €2 million provided by the EU will also be used to demonstrate the potential of LNG as a more environmentally friendly and cost effective transport fuel for heavy goods vehicles running on Spain’s sections of the TEN-T road network. The project was selected for f

Preliminary data from France over the number of fatalities on the road network reveal safety improvements during 2012. The numbers killed dropped by 7-8%, although the final figures for December are not yet available. The preliminary figures suggest that around 3,600-3,700 were killed on French roads in 2012, compared with 3,970 in 2011. This reduction is in line with targets on cutting the death rate and Ministry of the Interior wants to bring the fatality rate to just 2,000 by 2020. This reduction has bee

A legal hiatus has delayed the construction of a highway in Tanzania linking Tunduru, Matemanga-Kilimasenra, Namtumbo, and Songea. Work has been suspended by the Tanzanian authorities following a dispute over whether the Progressive Constructions-Higleig Joint Venture (Progressive-Higleig) building the link has met performance targets. Meanwhile, the Tanzanian Ministry of Works is implementing four road upgrading projects in Tabora worth a combined value of around US$ 221.47 million (TZS 351.70bn).

Ecuador is to invest about US$ 10bn in major motorways, with construction to start during 2013. The roads will reduce journey times, boost safety levels and benefit the road freight sector. Officials say that 6,440km of the 7,280km of road works carried out in the last six years have been completed. During 2012, around 11 million tourists travelled by the country’s roads. The most significant road projects in Ecuador include Manta (Ecuador)-Manaus (Brazil) road, linking the Pacific Ocean with the Atlantic,