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The newly-opened High Orchard Bridge in Gloucester, south-west England, links the city's inner relief road to the new south-west bypass and provides access to the massive Gloucester Quays €293.5 million redevelopment scheme. The lift bridge structure was designed and constructed under a joint venture involving English Partnerships, British Waterways and developer Peel Holdings. The €11.74 million structure is a contemporary single-span bridge, with an efficient electro-hydraulic movable, 300tonne lifting d

Major cost reductions are being seen on some key highway projects in Russia including the new ring road project in St Petersburg, where the reduction is US$192.31 million. The management of the ring road in St Petersburg has signed an agreement with the main contractors (Flora, the corporation Inzhtransstroy) to cut costs by 12-17.6% in 2009-2010. The 12% reduction is equivalent to US$32.05 million and will apply to contractors that are to complete facilities in 2009. Meanwhile the 17.6% cut is for work pla

Nynas is investing nearly €2.7 million in new research and development facilities at the company's refinery in Nynäshamn. This investment forms part of the company's ongoing expansion in the world market for specialty oils. The new research and development lab is, in principle, a smaller version of Nynas' full-scale hydrogenation facility. Hydrogenation is one of Nynas' central processes, in which various oil distillates are purified from sulphur and aromatic hydrocarbons using hydrogen gas. Hydrogenation r

A very different road safety picture is emerging in two European nations, France and Germany. In France, the road fatality rate fell 4.7% for the month of June 2012, compared with the same period in the previous year. Some 320 people were killed on French roads in June 2012. In May 2012, the road death rate in France was only 0.9% lower than for the same period in the previous year. But in April 2012 the road death rate dropped 22.2% compared with 2011, 9% in March and 25.3% in February.

Tunnel workers have now connected the two bores for the new highway linking Albania with Kosovo. The 5.6km tunnel forms part of the Rreshen-Kalimash highway, which has so far cost Albania in excess of €1 billion.

Port connections and infrastructure will be improved in the Chinese city of Yichang, following completion of a series of projects now underway. The work is costing US$331 million and includes building six new roads and four new ports. The key road projects include the Houhe-Jietou tourist route and the Yafan-Baiyang road. The port projects include the expansion of Yichang passenger port and the first phase Baiyang industrial area port. The work is expected to improve the city’s infrastructure and boost its

In Spain the authorities in the Castilla y Leon region are planning to invest €1.21 billion in the construction of 15 highways up until 2020. As part of the project, procedures for building six of the highways should be put in place before the end of 2009. Some €104 million will be invested in 41km Leon-La Baneza highway; €142 million will be spent on two further motorways between Palencia and Paredes de Nava, and Palencia and Carrion de los Condes; a further project includes the last stretch of Segovia's r

Liebherr Group said an increase in trade with emergent markets fuelled an overall Group turnover rise of 9.8% to €8.33billion in 2011. And a Group spokesperson said they expect a further 10% turnover rise for the leading German construction machine manufacturer in 2012. Turnover from construction machinery and mining equipment recorded an above-average increase of 13.5 % in 2011, generating revenues of €5.38billion.

The National Road Infrastructure Agency (NRIA) in Bulgaria is to benefit from funding worth €255.7 million, which is being provided by the EU's operational programme for regional development. The money will be used for upgrades to 660km of second and third category roads. In addition, work on Bulgaria's Lyulin motorway is running to schedule and should be completed in 2012 as planned. The work is being financed by the EU and the first 5km stretch of the road is scheduled to open about now.