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The authorities in Chile plan to invest some US$500 million for improving the road links within capital Santiago. The work will focus on the east of the fast growing city and includes eight separate projects intended to ease traffic congestion, with the first due to commence in October 2012. The projects include a tunnel under Mapoco river connecting Costanera Norte and the Central motorway, two new bridges over Manquehue and Kennedy avenue and works on La Concepcion exit. The Perez Zujovic roundabout will

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has granted a €150million sovereign-guaranteed loan for the construction of part of the new Banja Luka–Doboj motorway in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The loan-targeted motorway section is the main east–est link in Republika Srpska, one of the country’s entities. The EBRD said that it will also support the preparation of the first public–private partnership (PPP) project for the main north–south link in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Doboj to Vukosavlje seg

The new eastern bypass for Khabarovsk in Russia is being discussed by the local authorities. The 30km highway will feature four lanes and will connect the Chita–Khabarovsk (M-58) and Khabarovsk–Vladivostok (M-60) highways. It will also link with roads in the city at nine interchanges. The highway will have a speed limit of 140km/h. The project will be run on a public–private partnership basis and will cost US$540million. The government will provide 20–25% of the finances required, with the rest coming from

In Albania the government is giving its approval for an €80million (US$104.4million) loan being provided by the European Investment Bank (EIB). The project is for the Fier bypass, which forms part of the Tirana–Vlora highway. The project has faced a series of delays since work commenced a number of years ago. However, this new funding will help ensure that the work is completed.

In the Czech Republic the road authorities are looking to address quality issues that have caused problems on the country’s roads and highways. The Czech Roads and Motorways Directorate (RSD) plans to check the quality of highways using vehicle-mounted scanning laser technology. This will allow RSD to launch repairs before potholes are formed.

AECOM’s UK transport team has been selected to develop a masterplan for the Romanian national transport system. An assessment of the short, medium and long-term outlook for the country’s transport system will form part of the masterplan. It will also contain sustainability-conscious infrastructure and policy recommendations for all transport modes.

More than 1,600 people took part in four days of transport research topic discussion at the TRA2012 conference in Athens, Greece. The event between 23rd-26th April included a special focus on infrastructure, with large numbers of FEHRL (Forum of European National Highway Research Laboratories) members taking part in different sessions.