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VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Emtele are developing sophisticated mobile traffic surveillance solutions that can measure the speed and height of passing vehicles. This new equipment can also measure the distances between vehicles as well as assessing the condition of brakes in heavy vehicles. In the future, these tools will also be able to measure the weight of a moving vehicle and the friction of the road surface. These innovative automated traffic surveillance solutions feature machine visi

Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) has announced a significant new addition to its popular Zaxis-3 range of excavators, the ZX14-3, highlighting a new level of performance. Filling an important gap in the 1-2 tonne class, the new model has been developed to compete in the general construction sector and strengthens the Japanese manufacturer's position in the mini excavator market. Basic and durable, the ZX14-3 is easy to operate, while its compact and lightweight design allows it to be transported by t

The multi-span reinforced concrete viaduct at Torano, about 100km east of the Italian capital Rome, is a major structure on the main E80/A24/A25 Autostrada crossing central Italy. The Viadotto Fiume Salto was opened in the late 1960s, but the use of de-icing salts during winter months has since caused considerable calcium chloride damage to the structure forcing the Italian Highways Authority and the Autostrada di Parchi's owner Toto to carry out extensive repairs. The renovation estimated at around €5 mill

Mike Woof reviews the latest compaction market developments In the run-up to the upcoming World of Asphalt event in Orlando, Florida in March, the leading compaction equipment firms are rolling out upgraded and improved machines. With market conditions tough worldwide, customers are also likely to be encouraged with competitive deals on purchasing new machines and replacing ageing fleets.

With new roads to be built and existing ones to be maintained, one company is predicting a big increase in asphalt production Asphalt plant manufacturer Ammann says that four factors in particular will shape the future of the asphalt industry. The company, which has sold its first JustBlack asphalt mixing plant to Costa Rica through its Spanish distribution partner, EMSA, says that many more roads have yet to be built in the world. "Building the global road network will provide work for many generations to

Hyper-mobility is constantly demanded by customers who favour continuous plants, especially in France. However, compromises must always be sought in the high output equipment range, says Ermont (part of the FAYAT Group), and major progress has been made in the parallel flow field with the 500tonne/hr and 600tonne/hr TSM plants, whereas the Rétroflux type of the counterflow plants have lagged somewhat behind. This gap has now been closed with the development of the hyper-mobile RF 400, capable of producing 4

Hot-mix asphalt (HMA) is produced at specialised facilities where various mixtures of aggregate are heated and dried, combined with liquid asphalt cement (also known as bitumen), and either stored in insulated silos or loaded into trucks and transported to a job site. Aggregate heating and drying is accomplished with various types of dryers, depending on whether a batch or continuous process is used. The continuous mix process uses aggregate drum dryers, designed to heat and dry measured quantities of grave

Mike Woof discusses some novel developments relating to bitumen In the developed countries of Western Europe there is an increasing shift away from new highway construction to maintaining and rebuilding existing roads. In Germany alone, a network of asphalt roads extending more than 600,000km will have to be maintained or repaired. Highway maintenance techniques do vary between European countries but some commonalities exist. There are techniques that have been sidelined in the last few years but which now

Milling techniques remain one of the most widely used recycling methods Well-proven, cold milling techniques remain one of the most widely used methods for materials recycling in road construction. Milled road materials can be cleaned up and re-used in both asphalt and concrete highway construction. German firm Wirtgen has long dominated the market for road milling machines and has the largest share of the sector (as well as the broadest product range), although other firms based in Europe and the US are be